THE LAKE HOUSE a totally gripping

crime thriller full of twists (Detective

Chris Bailey Book 1) Kate Watterson
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 THE
LAKE
HOUSE
A totally gripping crime thriller full of twists

KATE WATTERSON
Detective Chris Bailey Book 1
 Joffe Books, London
www.joffebooks.com

First published in Great Britain in 2022

© Kate Watterson

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are
either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The spelling used is US English
except where fidelity to the author’s rendering of accent or dialect supersedes this. The right of Kate
Watterson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Cover art by Nick Castle

ISBN: 978-1-80405-091-0
CONTENTS

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Epilogue
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Chapter One

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The roses were blooming.

He knelt there in the grass by the flower bed in the only unshaded place near the house, the
almost ghostly fragrance of the blooms intoxicating.
Blood red and pale yellow and snow white. A well-tended garden was important, like a well-
tended life. As soon as a bloom started to fade, he clipped it. Once something lost its beauty, there
was no use for it.
An apt analogy.
He was going to kill his wife.
It wasn’t so much that he’d finally made up his mind, it was more that he’d known it for a long
time, and was just now acknowledging it. It had been there, like a fly at a dirty window, buzzing
around, pestering him.
The sun was warm on his shoulders and the sky above, a perfect azure blue.
It wouldn’t be hard.
Maybe he’d even do it tonight. Quiet all around.
The time was right.
***
The only thing to mark the drive was a discreet lip of asphalt off the winding road and Drew
missed it the first time. It wasn’t until they wound up on a loop back to the small county highway that
they noticed it.
It was fine with her, Lauren Mathews decided, as she looked out the window at the late-afternoon
sun dappling the crowding trees and sending shadows across the hood of the car. The later they were,
the less time they would spend on this vacation. Every lost minute was a reprieve. She’d actually
been grateful for gridlocked traffic on the interstate for the first time in her life.
With a muttered expletive, Drew turned the car around on the narrow road and they headed back.
“Rob has always said it was hard to see and even he still misses it. I agree. Even though I’ve
been here before, he’s right.”
 She glanced over. They had been dating about six months now and she knew he was tense just by
the set of his wide shoulders, probably from the long drive. In profile, his familiar features were
clean-cut, with a slight frown gathered between his fine brows, the sifted light through the forest
coming in the window accenting the nice line of his lean jaw. Thick, dark-blond hair, always a little
unruly, gave him a surfer boy look, as did the honed athletic body beneath the Ohio State University T-
shirt and tan shorts. Blue eyes the same color as the summer sky above the canopy of trees narrowed
in concentration as they drove much slower back the way they had just come.
It was popular opinion Andrew Fletcher was very hot and she was a lucky girl.
She was a lucky girl. That was part of the problem. He wasn’t just attractive but also intelligent
and considerate.
But . . .
Shake it off. Stop thinking about it and maybe it will go away.
“Is that it?” She pointed at a gap in the trees. “There’s a mailbox.”
“I think so. When he says private, he means it.” Drew carefully pulled his expensive sports car
into the narrow lane, which immediately curved to the right through the woods. “Yeah, this is it.”
She had her first glimpse of the water, a sparkling peek as they slid around a corner. It was a half
a mile at least before they spotted the cabin and a few minutes later berthed the car next to a silver
pickup truck also sporting Ohio plates.
Some cabin, Lauren thought with amused assessment, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. The
place was stunning with a pitched brow front three stories high overlooking the lake, all glass
windows and huge decks on the lower and second level. The area around the structure had been
carefully landscaped to look natural but was free of the tangled shrubs and wild vines and instead
planted with a variety of ferns hanging delicate lacy leaves over the pine needles. The effect was
expensive rustic at its finest, but then again Rob had mentioned his uncle was filthy rich.
Actually, he’d said in his reserved way his uncle was quite well-to-do.
Drew switched off the engine, took a look at his watch, and gave her one of his hundred-watt
smiles. “Quite a place, isn’t it?”
“That’s an understatement.” She stared at the house, amazed. “Gorgeous.”
“We’re only an hour and a half late. I guess that’s not bad considering the traffic and construction
zones, but I’ll be glad to get out of this car. I’ll get the bags and you go on in.”
“No, I’ll help you.”
“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” He pushed a button and got out to go around to the trunk.
Since there really wasn’t much choice, she got out too, and had to admit even though the very idea
of this vacation made her uncomfortable, the air did smell fresh and clean and the view to the lake
was spectacular. Down a narrow path, she could see a boat slip and the jut of the dock, and then a
vista of deep blue water all framed in thick trees and not a soul in sight.
“The lake is very pretty.” The remark was a little inane but she wasn’t at her finest, the hours in
the car aside.
Not staring the week from hell in the face.
“I told you. Quite the place. I’m looking forward to a great time.” Drew hefted both their bags
and nodded at the steps up to the first level of the house. “But I’m going to have to admire the view
later. After you, babe. I’m dying for a cold beer.”
Even as she turned to comply and started to go up, a tall man came out of one of the sets of French
doors on the front lower deck. Like Drew, he was dressed in an old comfortable T-shirt and shorts,
and a welcoming smile lit his face. “It’s about time. I was just about to call your cell and ask what the
hell was going on. Come on in.”
The only thing she carried was her purse and cosmetic bag, and Rob Hanson came forward
politely and took them from her despite her protest. He was the antithesis of Drew in every way
except he was just as good-looking. There was nothing boyish in his dramatic dark coloring — wavy
black hair, ebony brows, and skin bronzed by a light summer tan. Even his lashes were thick and dark,
framing eyes that were a startling gold-green hazel. His gaze flicked over her skirt and silk blouse,
inappropriate for the wilderness surroundings, and she said defensively, “Drew picked me up from
the office.”
“You look great but you might want to change and just be comfortable. After all, we’re all on
vacation. Let me show you to your room.” He didn’t bat an eye but turned to lead them into the house,
the interior proving to be just as stunning as the outside. Vaulted ceilings went up two stories in the
great room, and there were lofts above on both levels. A huge stone fireplace, scattered leather
furniture in comfortable groupings and an open state-of-the-art kitchen did not really represent the
fishing lodge he’d offered for their proposed and much-discussed mutual getaway. Somehow she’d
pictured pine walls and sleeping bags, not this luxury.
“Nice to be here,” Drew commented as he followed with their luggage. “I’m impressed every
time.”
“Yeah, Uncle Jim spends most of his time in Italy now, and it just sits empty, so we might as well
use it. He wants us to use it.” Rob pointed. “You have the master suite.”
He climbed up the first set of stairs. As she followed, Lauren felt a frisson of discomfort. Again.
She objected, “We can take a guest room.”
“Karen isn’t coming. I don’t need a room this size just for me. You two can have it. Wait until you
see it.”
“What? Your girlfriend isn’t coming?”
He turned around and she realized she had said it out loud. Rob lifted his brows a fraction. “She
had to cancel. I thought Drew told you. It’s just the three of us.”
***
No, Drew hadn’t told her a damn thing and the expression on her face spoke volumes, so maybe
he should have in retrospect. Lauren looked even unhappier than she had the whole drive down
through Kentucky and Tennessee, and though most people of his acquaintance would love a free
vacation courtesy of a friend’s uncle with way too much money, she wasn’t exactly jumping for joy.
As long as she didn’t jump overboard on their relationship, since that was Drew’s real worry.
“You don’t like her much anyway,” he said casually as he walked past her into the room. “I
figured you’d be more relieved than anything.” It was true, and actually neither of them was very
crazy about Rob’s latest romantic interest. She was shallow, something Lauren definitely was not.
“Drew!” she protested, color flooding into her smooth cheeks. Looking mortified, she gave Rob
an apologetic smile. “I’ve never said that, by the way. You are getting his opinion only.”
Rob didn’t look offended, his face impassive. “That’s all right. To tell you the truth, my heart
didn’t exactly break when she told me she had to work on some emergency legal case that came up.
We’re more off than we are on these days and we were never that serious anyway. This way, you can
relax, read, and do whatever you want instead of hanging around with her. Fletcher and I plan to fish
the day away and drink copious amounts of beer. No rules this week, just whatever anyone wants to
do. Swim, take a nap, watch a movie, sit on the deck with a glass of wine.”
Lauren murmured in a halting voice, “That sounds nice.”
The bedroom was enormous, with a fireplace, huge windows facing the back of the house and the
expanse of forest around them, and a bed the size of a football stadium. The carpet was lush, and the
private bathroom had a jetted tub, marble floors, and a separate walk-in shower built for two. There
was even a small bar with a refrigerator and a flat-screen television on the wall.
Lauren seemed unmoved by all the opulence, still just inside the door, her slender body betraying
a language Drew didn’t have to be a psychologist to read. He’d been interpreting the signals without
any problem for some time now and just wasn’t sure what to do about it. Maybe he should be angry,
since it was the logical reaction. But logic didn’t seem to apply to this situation, not if he wanted to
keep her.
And he did. The moment he’d met her he’d been drawn in.
Rob eased away from the doorframe in a smooth athletic movement. “I’ll go downstairs while
you all unpack. There’s a deck chair with my name on it and a cold one on the table next to it. Come
and join me after you are settled in. The view is pretty amazing.”
“We’ll be right down.” Drew made the promise as he deposited their suitcases on the floor. As
soon as Rob was gone, he asked, “Are you upset?”
She gave him a look he couldn’t quite interpret. “Because Karen ditched out? I won’t miss her I
admit it, though you weren’t supposed to announce it to Rob. What if they stay together and eventually
get married or something, Drew? Now he’ll always know I don’t really care for her.”
“They won’t.” He spoke with complete confidence because he’d known Rob Hanson since they
were both in grade school. Rob was not into his latest girlfriend except in the most casual of ways.
Drew was pretty sure they weren’t even sleeping together before this trip and apparently that wasn’t
going to happen now either. “They haven’t dated very long. He seemed relieved to me she didn’t
come and I’m personally happy as hell because I couldn’t quite picture her enjoying the ‘vacation in
the woods’ theme. You said you wanted to sleep in, read, lie in the sun, and swim a little. She’d be
texting the entire time and checking email. Think of it this way, you’ll be able to do whatever you
want and not feel obligated to entertain her. It isn’t like you don’t know Rob pretty well, babe. We’re
all friends. It’ll be fun.”
She moved toward the suitcase he’d set down, unbuttoning her blouse. “A week with the guys for
me? Hmm, I guess as long as I don’t have to go fishing with you two or do all the cooking, it’ll be
fine.”
“You have my word on it.” He watched her slide the silk material from her shoulders, a familiar
hunger shooting from brain to groin. Lauren was beautiful in an understated way, slender but feminine.
She had perfect firm, high breasts, not too big but still shapely and sexy as hell, a slim waist, and nice
long legs. Her hair was a rich chestnut brown that glimmered with golden highlights, worn down past
her shoulders in a simple elegant straight swing, and her skin in contrast was fair and flawless. The
almost fragile beauty of her face was accented by enormous dark-blue eyes under arched brows, high
cheekbones, a straight nose, and a very soft, pink mouth she rarely accented with anything but clear
gloss. Other than a little mascara, he knew she wore hardly any makeup, but she didn’t need
cosmetics anyway. Mother Nature had done it all for her. She was a knockout and the physical part of
their relationship was more than satisfying. All he had to do was look at her and he wanted her.
It was happening at the moment, he thought in amused self-reproof as he watched her step out of
her skirt. In just her bra and skimpy bikini panties — both a delicate pink that turned him on even
more — she went over to rummage in her case. He got a world-class view of her tempting, world-
class ass and his body went on full alert.
Later, he promised. When they went to bed for the evening, he’d start the vacation out in a way
she wouldn’t forget. It had taken him months to finally get her to sleep with him, but the wait had been
more than worth it. With her looks, he’d been astounded to discover that at twenty-four, she’d been
practically a virgin.
He was edging past infatuation into something more serious. But they had one big issue he had a
feeling wasn’t going to go away.
Well, make that two.
Lauren found a pair of white shorts, slipped them on, and then pulled a pale blue tank top over
her head. She shook back her shining hair, so it fell gracefully over her slim shoulders again. “You go
on down if you want. I’m going to brush my teeth and put a few things away.”
“The minute you join us, I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”
She smiled in a tempting curve of her mouth that lit her face with the familiar warmth. “That
sounds pretty fabulous. You know how to win a girl over.”
“You’re fabulous.” He walked over, pulled her into his arms, kissed her lightly, and looked into
her eyes. “I’m really looking forward to spending this week with you.”
Her hand lifted to touch his cheek and lush dark lashes lowered a fraction over the deep blue of
her eyes. “I feel the same way.”
He believed her. That was part of the problem. He wanted to believe it.
“I’m glad.” Drew let her go before she figured out he was aroused just from watching her change
her clothes. “Take your time. It sounds like we’ll be out on the deck.”
“It’ll just be a few minutes.”
The house really was spectacular, he thought as he went down the stairs and through the open
great room. Rob was on the deck as promised, sprawled carelessly in an Adirondack chair, the light
breeze ruffling his dark hair. Without a word he reached into a nearby cooler, pulled out a dripping
cold bottle, and handed it over.
“Thanks.” Drew twisted off the cap and dropped into the chair next to him. “This is so sweet.
How big is the lake? I’ve been here before but I don’t think that I’ve ever asked.” He meant it. The
view could not be beat.
“A couple hundred acres. Not huge, but all private, and from what I’ve seen each time when I’ve
been up here, pretty much all ours. The houses are like this one. Big expensive places built by people
too busy to use them much. On the weekends there are some boats out, but during the week it is dead
quiet.”
“Thanks for inviting us. Heaven on earth. I was going to take Lauren someplace in the Caribbean
but the thought of a crowded beach doesn’t do much for me, honestly. When we went in college for
spring break that infamous year it was a little different.”
Rob took a drink from his beer bottle and laughed. “Yeah, that whole trip is a bit of a blur. Who
knew we’d someday turn into responsible adults and prefer peace and quiet? Hell, before you got
here, I even made a salad, put the steaks in the marinade, and got the baked potatoes ready.”
 “You’re a regular chef.” Drew grinned.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. That’s a pretty elaborate meal for me. I can make a decent spaghetti
sauce but brace yourself for burgers and brats the rest of the week. I don’t have time to cook. You
aren’t a culinary genius with your schedule either, Fletcher.”
It was true, Drew acknowledged. Six years before they had both graduated from Ohio State, and
Rob was now a computer engineer for a software company, while Drew had managed to capitalize on
a love of flying and ended up a corporate pilot. A lot of hard work and some luck and they’d done
fairly well. They were busy as hell, both of them, and Drew was out of the country half the time, so
this week was even more special because they’d get to spend some time together. Of course, he
would also get to be with Lauren.
His private life hadn’t gone as according to plan as his career.
“Simple is fine with me. Besides, Lauren is a great cook, and though she said she doesn’t want to
get stuck with all the cooking, I’m going to guess she’ll be more than happy to pitch in if it comes
down to the bologna sandwiches I can make. I can spread mayo on the bread, that’s about it.”
“Is she unhappy about Karen not coming or is what you said true?” Rob sounded casual — almost
too carefully casual.
“She’s fine. More than happy to do her own thing.”
“That’s good since there isn’t a lot of excitement around here.”
The ensuing silence was just a little strained and Drew uttered a silent curse at the situation that
was fast becoming the norm between two friends who were as close as brothers.
Just one word summed up his feelings.
Fuck.
Chapter Two
It was prudent to wait until after dinner. Because, of course, one must eat, and a few glasses of
wine wouldn’t hurt the cause.
Diabolical was the title of his latest work in progress. He’d looked it up just to make sure he
understood the true definition and he had this old tome of a dictionary that had proved invaluable.
Webster’s. He used it all the time. It was more reliable than using the internet.
It said: Outrageously wicked.
Maybe he’d always wanted to be that way. It was possible and he’d just missed the warning
signs.
Those signs? What were they? He didn’t know.
As a student of human nature, he found it fascinating.
In a diabolical way.
***
Lighting the candles was too much in retrospect. Candlelit dinner for three. That’s romance for
you, Hanson. They were just there and he’d lit them before thinking it over.
Rob took another bite of his steak. It was actually really good, the spice rub the butcher had
recommended doing the trick, and he managed to get it just medium rare with a nice char on the
outside. Even the baked potatoes weren’t underdone, which he had a habit of doing since he seemed
perpetually in a hurry.
Maybe that was why he couldn’t completely relax.
Yeah, right, who was he fooling?
The real reason sat across the table, the theatrical light playing over her shimmering hair as she
sipped wine and picked at her food. Since the steaks were delicious and it was hard to go wrong with
potatoes and salad, he knew it wasn’t the meal. Just what it was affecting her appetite he wasn’t sure,
but he hoped the only vibe he was sending was platonic brotherly affection.
He was doing his best anyway.
“. . . back to Japan again,” Drew was saying with a small grimace. “It’ll be the third time in two
months.”
Rob jerked his attention back to the conversation. “I’ve always wanted to see it and now that we
acquired that new company, I might have to go someday, or so they’ve mentioned in a couple of
memos.”
“Believe me, I’ve seen it.” Drew lounged in his chair, toying with the stem of his wine glass.
“Once we get there, I have nothing to do until they’re ready to leave. I just walk around and take in the
culture. Last time we were there ten days. It’s an interesting place, but you can only play tourist for so
long. I think Indonesia is after that.”
“You could fly for a commercial airline.” It was an old debate, and Rob grinned, knowing the
answer.
“No thanks.” Drew shook his head.
Lauren, who had been quiet through the meal — the whole evening, actually — spoke up.
“Heaven forbid he be boring and conventional and have a regular schedule.”
“Like I said, no thanks.” Drew smiled at her, the expression on his face teasing with the intimacy
of a lover. “I thought you liked the fact I’m not another executive in an Armani suit.”
“It’d be nice if you were around a little more, that’s all.” She smiled back, but it was fleeting, and
she got to her feet to gather her still mostly full plate. “That was delicious, Rob. Thank you.”
“You didn’t eat much,” he pointed out in a neutral tone.
“I’ll save the rest for lunch tomorrow. I don’t know why, but I’m really tired tonight. I went in
early to try to get as much done before noon when Drew picked me up, so maybe that’s it.” She
moved gracefully toward the kitchen, a slender shape in the inadequate lighting, though a spectacular
moon had risen and was visible through the glass wall facing the lake, helping light the cabin with the
illumination. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go up to bed after I help clean this up.”
“There isn’t much to do.” He got to his feet with alacrity and switched on the light in the kitchen.
“I’ll take care of it. I know where everything goes. You can have clean-up duty tomorrow if you
want.”
“Okay . . . fair enough.” She relinquished her plate as he reached for it.
Unfortunately, their fingers brushed. Just a touch, but enough to make his entire hand tingle in
some ridiculous adolescent way that — if it was physically possible to do so — made him want to
kick himself.
She’s off limits.
For a second, her eyes, so lovely and luminous with that indigo color, widened almost as if she
could read his mind, and then she turned to leave, going past Drew with little more than a murmured
good night and hurrying up the stairs.
“Not exactly how I’d thought the evening would go.” Drew’s tone was joking, but there was an
underlying edge to it. He still sat and stared at where Lauren had disappeared into the small hallway
to the master bedroom. “She’s been pretty tense lately and I’ve been trying to figure it out.”
Well, shit.
“Maybe she is just tired.” Rob hoped he sounded casual as he moved to find some plastic wrap
and put it over her plate. “We all work hard. That’s why we’re here. Tomorrow, when she gets to
sleep late, hang around catching some sun, and maybe go for an afternoon boat ride, she’ll relax.”
“Our relationship has always felt solid, right from the beginning.”
Why did they have to talk about this now? “It’s seemed that way to me all along.” Rob slid the
plate into the refrigerator. It was true.
“I’m in love with her, or that’s what it seems like . . . whoa, what the hell was that?”
The doors to the deck were open to the sound of the creaking insects and the gentle lap of the
water on the shore. The faint sound came again, an eerie high-pitched keen that seemed to echo in
macabre desolation until it died away.
It sounded like a woman screaming.
Both of them went still — he in the act of walking back to the table and Drew as he lifted his
wine to his mouth. After a second, Rob said, “Could be a bird or maybe a bobcat. They have them
down here.”
“You think so?” Drew frowned, turning to stare at the open doors. “I’ve heard screech owls
before. I suppose that could be it. Maybe we should take a look outside. It’s hard to tell how close it
was.”
“If we hear it again, maybe we can tell.”
They waited but from outside all there came was the constant sound of the cicadas in the trees
and the chirping of what seemed like a million tree frogs.
“I’m going with the owl/bobcat theory.” Rob sat back down and reached for the almost empty
bottle of Merlot to pour the last into his glass. “Are we going to get up early tomorrow and try for
some largemouth? The last time I came I caught one that was probably close to seven pounds.”
“Huh, you say, Hanson. What’s your idea of early?”
“Uhm . . . six maybe.” Fishing was a safe comfortable topic. Much better than discussing how his
best friend was in love with the woman he couldn’t seem to get off his mind.
“Six?” Drew’s brows shot up. “Well, yeah, I suppose that’s fine since Lauren will probably sleep
in anyway. I just don’t want her to feel like a fifth wheel because Karen bailed out.”
“I think I’m the fifth wheel.” Rob took a deliberate sip of the red wine and looked out over the
moonlit lake.
What an understatement.
***
She was restless, even though she was exhausted and the night had cooled off nicely, the breeze
coming off the balcony brushing across her skin. The shorts and T-shirt she’d put on seemed to cling
to her body and she slid out of bed and slipped both off.
The look on Drew’s face as she’d passed him and rushed upstairs had obliterated any possibility
of sleep. It wasn’t guilt precisely that kept her tossing and turning, it was just plain confusion. She
was involved with Andrew Fletcher. It was unsettling, because she’d never felt this way about
anyone, not with the same intensity. The flash of his mesmerizing smile, the way he moved with such
easy masculine grace, the skillful way he touched her . . .
Before him, she’d thought sex overrated, a Hollywood commodity peddled like plastic surgery
and breast implants. An illusion, when the reality was more about messy, less than satisfying
intercourse with absolutely no rockets exploding in the heavens. Disappointed was her overall rating,
but then again, she didn’t have a whole lot of experience.
Drew had changed that the first time they’d slept together.
Maybe this current state of turmoil was all his fault, she mused in disgruntled discontent as she
punched the pillow under her head, kicked off the covers, and closed her eyes for the hundredth time.
He’d made her aware of her body, of how a woman could respond to a man, and as a result, she was
having some very disloyal and entirely erotic fantasies about Rob Hanson.
She was seriously involved with Drew. Why was she so aware of Rob? The problem had been
growing for the past few months and she had a feeling Drew might have started to notice. For that
matter, Rob seemed just as uncomfortable around her as she was around him, and she had begun to
have a love–hate reaction to the idea of double dates. A traitorous part of her wanted to see Rob. A
more practical part of her brain told her it was better to just stay away.
She finally had found a great guy who was everything any woman could want, they got along,
laughed together, enjoyed a very healthy satisfying sex life, and there she was, having impure thoughts
about his best friend.
You’re an idiot, Lauren.
Maybe it was because the two men shared a lot of the same characteristics. They were both self-
confident, intelligent, and had a good sense of humor, but while Drew tended to be straightforward
and dealt with life in a very direct way, Rob seemed more sensitive and actually a bit old-fashioned
if Karen’s complaints held any truth. She had never gotten him into bed, his girlfriend had confided
with bitterness the last time the four of them had gone out together for dinner and she and Lauren had
gone to the restroom at the same time. A successful attorney, statuesque and blonde, Karen seemed
more than a little irritated with his reluctance over sex, so maybe the cancellation wasn’t that much of
a surprise after all.
Rob’s girlfriend had speculated he might be interested in someone else.
Is it me? Lauren wondered.
It wasn’t like he’d ever done or said anything that could even be remotely construed as flirtation.
He wouldn’t do that to Drew. Lauren just got this feeling his unease around her might be a reflection
of a similar problem to the one she had with him.
She rolled over and was suddenly aware that the figure of a man lounged in the doorway, one
broad shoulder against the frame. With the moonlight, it was easy enough to see Drew’s face in angles
and planes, his gaze riveted on her exposed body.
“Hmm, nice view. Gorgeous naked woman in my bed, it doesn’t get better than that. Waiting for
me? I’d kind of given up hope since you said you were so tired.”
“I guess not as tired as I thought. I can’t fall asleep.” Her voice sounded husky, even to her own
ears.
“Can I help?” He moved toward the bed and jerked his shirt off over his head. His bare chest
was ridged with muscle and his abdomen flat and taut.
“Maybe.” She needed him touching her, kissing her, anything to take her mind off her chaotic
emotions. “What do you have in mind?”
“How about a little mind-blowing sex?” He unfastened his shorts and pushed them down his lean
hips.
“That sounds promising,” Lauren murmured as he climbed onto the huge bed and settled on top of
her.
“Doesn’t it?” he asked in a husky voice, and for a moment their gazes locked before he slowly
lowered his head and captured her mouth. They kissed with mutual open hunger, his tongue tangling
with hers, the weight of his body pinning her to the bed. Lauren ran her hands down the muscled
contours of his back.
Drew licked a trail along her jaw to the sensitive spot below her ear as he cupped a breast.
“Damn, you feel so good.”
So did he. Lauren lifted her mouth for another kiss. Belatedly, she realized he hadn’t even closed
the door.
“The door is open.” Her whisper sounded thick and off-key.
“So what?” Drew licked her collarbone.
“I don’t want anyone to hear us.” Lauren fought back an inarticulate sound of dismay.
“The only other person here is Rob and I hate to break it to you, babe, he knows we sleep
together.”
“Still, I . . . he doesn’t have to hear it.”
“Relax. His bedroom is on a different level anyway so feel free to make those sexy little sounds
that turn me on so much.”
“Please close the door.”
“Okay, fine.”
 “Thank you,” she whispered when he came back to the bed. “I do want you.”
“I’m damned glad of that because the feeling is entirely mutual. I’ll be happy to demonstrate.”
He did.
Gradually she became aware again of the pulse of the insects outside through the open windows,
the soft feel of the huge bed, and the uneven breathing of the man sprawled on top of her, his weight
supported just enough by his elbows.
“Hmm.” Lauren smiled and touched his face with a brush of her fingertips. “I somehow think I’ll
be able to drift off now.” It was true, she felt sated and physically content.
“Call on me anytime.” His breath tickled her throat. He kissed her bare shoulder. “We okay?”
A flicker of warning shot through her. “After what just happened you have to ask?”
“You’ve been a little tense lately.”
“I have?”
“I notice everything about you.” Drew stroked her arm with a light touch. “You can always talk to
me, you know.”
Not about this. She tried to picture the conversation in which she mentioned her romantic
fantasies involving his best friend. How on earth would he understand if she didn’t understand it
herself?
Yeah, that would go over well.
“Nothing is wrong, Drew.” Her voice softened. “I love you.”
His arm tightened a fraction. “That works out, since I love you, babe.”
Lauren gave a theatrical yawn. It was not the time to start thinking about her idiotic problem
again. She was a grown woman, not an infatuated teenager, and this would pass.
Or she certainly hoped it would.
Chapter Three
He listened to Mozart as he drank his coffee and felt no remorse for his decision.
None.
Requiem in D-minor. It seemed fitting and suited his mood.
But as he wandered out onto the huge deck, he noticed a boat on the lake and recognized it. He
froze, cup in hand, and realized someone was at the cabin next door — if you called acres away
next door, and if you could call it a cabin. Everyone with property on this lake paid dearly for
their privacy, but acoustics were tricky.
Neighbors were unexpected. It was a vacation home and usually sat empty.
It took some of the joy out of the sunny morning.
***
At mid-morning the brilliance of the sun reflected off the water in a dazzling sapphire blaze and
he’d decided sunscreen might not be a bad idea. Drew reeled in his line and opened the cooler to
retrieve a bottle of water. Rob was right, the lake was very quiet and they were in the only boat in
sight.
He took a drink and adjusted his sunglasses. “Who owns that place? Jesus.”
Rob glanced in the direction of his pointing finger. A rooftop stuck up from the trees, the
expansive length of the visible structure giving an idea of the size of the house below. It had to be
enormous. “Uncle Jim said the place next door to his is owned by a professor who wrote a few books
that made it big, but his real source of wealth was that he married money. How he knows all that I’m
not sure, but my aunt is pretty social. I can see her taking over a bottle of wine and getting the scoop.”
“Yeah, well, he didn’t buy that place on a university salary.” Drew capped the water bottle and
set it aside.
“True enough. I want to say the guy is some sort of an expert on something offbeat like criminal
history but writes bestselling fiction novels. I can’t remember his name off the top of my head. Glenn
something . . . like everyone else, they don’t live there full-time.”
“The boathouse is larger than my condo.”
“I’m sure it cost some real bucks.”
It was true. The structure by the elaborate dock was two stories, with three bay doors for the
boats undoubtedly inside and the exterior was impressive with even a rooftop deck that looked like it
might be connected to the house because there was a walkway off the back of it but obscured by trees.
The place looked as deserted as the rest of the lake.
“I wonder if Lauren is awake.” It was a neutral comment. Drew was just thinking out loud. “She’s
an early riser usually but she was sound asleep when I got up.”
Rob said nothing, piloting the boat back toward their dock. The wind ruffled his dark hair and his
face held no expression at all.
On purpose at a guess — an educated one.
It spoke volumes.
That was a big part of the problem, of course. He and Lauren were both being careful about it, so
deliberately indifferent to each other, and if he hadn’t seen that moment the night before, Drew might
even buy into that he just had an overactive imagination.
 He didn’t.
The act of handing a plate to another human being wasn’t significant usually. People had more
physical contact on the subway each day and it meant nothing, but the look they’d exchanged over a
barely touched plate of steak and potatoes had been telling.
He wasn’t even sure when he’d first noticed something was up. Yes, they double dated often
enough with Rob and whoever was his latest girlfriend because he and Rob had always done that,
since before college. There had never been a conflict of interest before, but Drew had the feeling
there sure as hell was one now.
He didn’t need this, and he doubted Rob did either.
Lauren was clearly uncomfortable over the attraction, and since he knew Rob almost as well as
he knew himself, it was also clear there was an ethical dilemma there as well. Neither one of them
would ever do anything about it. Drew was as sure of it as he was the sun would come up the next
morning.
But sometimes it was a cloudy day and all that sunshine was obscured.
The good news was he knew Lauren meant it when she said she loved him.
Desire wasn’t an unhealthy emotion. It just depended on how the parties involved dealt with it.
He still noticed other pretty young women besides her, of course. The key word was noticed.
Noticing was fine, acting on it wasn’t.
Lauren was awake, he saw, and must have heard them approach because she walked out onto the
long dock just as they berthed the boat. Drew took in the scenery with pure male appreciation, her
dark-blue bikini revealing a great deal of smooth flawless skin, her hair loose and shining down her
back. The rich color was accented by the sunlight and the light breeze tugged a silky strand across her
cheek. She pushed it away and smiled. “Any luck?”
He felt pretty damned lucky at the moment. As she bent to set down a beach towel, bottle of
sunblock, and a paperback novel, her breasts swayed provocatively under the thin, barely-there
material and he got a bird’s-eye view of a great deal of enticing flesh.
“We caught a few small ones.” Rob turned to start carefully tying up the boat with a line around a
post.
Yeah, right, like he hadn’t seen her bend over too.
“It’s a beautiful morning though.” Drew vaulted out to secure the other line. “Perfect for getting a
little sun and maybe a swim.”
“My thoughts exactly.” She sank down and picked up her book, folding those long, slender legs
underneath her.
“After we take our gear back up to the house, I may change into my trunks and come down to join
you.”
“I’ll be here.” She flashed them both another smile and then flipped open her book.
They gathered their poles and took the path up toward the house, the sun warm on Drew’s back.
Rob seemed in one hell of a hurry for someone on vacation, a good two yards in the lead right off the
bat. It was an easy enough assumption his friend’s goal wasn’t so much where he was going as it was
getting away from Lauren with all due speed and Drew stifled an expletive.
He really didn’t know exactly how to handle this, but he wasn’t going to pretend all week long he
didn’t notice the tension. It wasn’t his style, and besides, this problem wasn’t limited to just the next
six days either.
 Drew stowed his fishing pole on the porch and followed Rob into the cabin. He leaned against
the counter in the kitchen and declined a glass of iced tea as his friend rummaged in the refrigerator.
Finally, he simply said, “We need to talk. Now seems as good a time as any with Lauren down by the
lake.”
Rob glanced up from dropping ice cubes in a tall glass. “Talk about what?”
“I bet you could give it a good guess.” Drew lifted a brow. “You know how I hate bullshit and as
far as I know you aren’t into it either, so let’s cut through it, okay?”
“What particular bullshit are we referring to?” Rob gave him a level look but there was a tight
set to his mouth and his eyes held a wary look.
He just laid it out there. “This isn’t easy to say, but I get the distinct impression you have a less
than platonic interest in my girlfriend. That’s about as blunt as I can be. Correct me if I’m wrong.”
There was an antique clock hanging above the fireplace in the great room. In the ensuing silence
Drew could hear it tick with startling clarity.
Rob said nothing at first until he finally exhaled and ran his hand down his face. “There are times
I wish we didn’t know each other so well. I certainly wish you’d never noticed anything, because I
swear I’ve tried to just ignore it.”
It was a relief he didn’t, in the end, deny it. Maybe for them both.
“Yeah, well, Lauren isn’t doing too great a job in keeping it under wraps either. She’s noticed
because I’ve noticed that too.”
“Lauren has?” Rob’s hazel eyes took on a tell-tale glitter.
“She seems uptight around you.” Drew groped for the right words. This was a lifelong friendship.
“Look, I am not interested in losing her because of you anymore than I am interested in losing her to
you because I’m a jealous asshole. She isn’t the kind of person who would easily live with the idea
she put a strain on our friendship. Already I sense she feels guilty as hell for being attracted to you
and it’s a problem. Or maybe she feels guilty because you’re attracted to her. I’m not a psychologist,
I’m just not blind.”
He was also out of the country for good chunks of time. It had never bothered him before, but it
certainly did now. It was hard to tell which one of them was in the most hellish position.
“She hasn’t cornered the market on guilt.” Rob seemed to remember the pitcher on the counter
and lifted it to pour tea into his glass with a hand that wasn’t quite steady. “I feel like a jerk. I wish I
could tell you why I can’t go for Karen, who’s gorgeous and smart even if I don’t disagree now that
I’ve thought it over about the shallow part. Or go for any of the other women I’ve met lately instead of
thinking about—”
“—Lauren all the time.” Drew finished the sentence tersely. “Our real problem — for all three of
us in my estimation — is we need to work this out somehow or more than one relationship is going to
be destroyed. You and I have been friends a long time. I’d like it to stay that way. We’ve never had
this kind of problem before.”
Rob got it. That was part of the issue.
“I haven’t done a single thing out of line. I’m not going to either, so let’s just relax, okay? I
admire your taste and good judgment. You have her. I don’t. I know it, don’t get me wrong. I’m even
happy for you, because she’s not only beautiful, but terrific in every other way — intelligent, has a
sense of humor, is artistic . . . any man with half a brain would notice her. This whole situation isn’t
something I wanted to happen, believe me. If you’re pissed, I understand, but it wasn’t intentional. I’m
the miserable one.”
Since the misery wasn’t all one-sided, Drew could not agree. He was apprehensive over the
future. Lauren felt uncomfortable for thinking about another man. Rob was frustrated and guilty. Drew
was afraid Lauren might just decide to walk away from the whole situation. Including him. She had
good reason.
She had more reasons than she realized. That was his real problem. Rob wasn’t the only one with
a secret.
Dammit.
Surely there was some way to work this out. He was just having a hard time coming up with it.
“She and I could leave. This place is great and I’ve been looking forward to it, but not if we
aren’t going to enjoy it. I’m not sure how I’d explain my sudden reversal, but—”
Rob interrupted. “Drew, please don’t. It won’t just be the three of us. Karen sent a text. She’s
coming after all.”
***
That text had been good news and bad news.
At least it was true, it wouldn’t just be the three of them, but Rob had to admit he wasn’t looking
forward to navigating these turbulent waters. He hadn’t particularly invited Karen in the first place.
Over dinner one night on a casual date, because that was all it was in his mind anyway, he’d merely
mentioned his uncle’s cabin was free and he was thinking of inviting Drew down for a week of
fishing and recreation. She was the one that suggested if Drew brought Lauren she’d like for them all
to go together.
That was Karen. Not pushy exactly but determined for sure. She’d decided on the vacation, and
that was that.
Being in her crosshairs made him uncomfortable because he really didn’t feel the initial attraction
any longer, and that was just how things went sometimes. The relationship was certainly superficial at
this point.
He’d been too polite to point out he hadn’t really included her. He hadn’t invited Lauren then
either, but if Karen was coming, he didn’t have much choice because he knew Drew didn’t really
want to start a Karen Foxton fan club and he’d cancel if he knew she was going to be there unless
Lauren was there too. So Rob had invited him to bring Lauren along even though he knew being
around her for an entire week would be a form of emotional torture.
The relief he’d felt when Karen canceled was balanced by being the odd man out, but it continued
to just get more complicated. She had just informed him a judge had moved an important court date
and she could be there after all.
It was like he couldn’t win. His connection with her was definitely not long term.
Rob ran his hand through his hair. “All I really pictured was you and me catching some fish and
drinking beer in the sun. It’s a little awkward being here alone with you and Lauren, but now there
will be four of us. I think the least I can do is point out if you want to leave after this conversation I
never wanted us to have, I understand, but I prefer some backup.”
Drew smiled wryly though it obviously took some effort. “Actually, if the situation was different,
I’d be giving you advice. Maybe I will anyway. Forget Karen, because it isn’t going anywhere.”
“I know.” That was honest. He exhaled. “You’re right. That has absolutely nothing to do with
Lauren either. I’m being serious here. My interest in Karen has evaporated slowly the longer I’ve
known her.”
But it certainly didn’t help the relationship that he had such conflicted interest in someone else.
Drew lifted a brow. “You do know Karen has told Lauren she thinks there might be another
woman in your life.”
At least Drew was being decent about this untenable situation, and no, Rob didn’t know that.
“There is no one else in a literal sense. Karen and I just haven’t slept together and I know she’s
wondering why. I’m not — trust me — trying to get an award for moral man of the year, but our
relationship is too superficial for that in my opinion. I do envy what you have with Lauren, no doubt
about it, but that isn’t a new story in the history of humankind. I want us to be fine.”
‘Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife’ came to mind. Definitely not a new story or that
biblical admonishment wouldn’t exist, but in his defense, it certainly wasn’t on purpose.
Drew was Drew. Straightforward as ever. “I don’t love it, but I feel better we talked about it. If
we relax over the situation, I think Lauren will too and that’s important to me. Let’s go change into
trunks and head back down to the water. Today is simply gorgeous. I don’t want to waste a second of
it.”
***
If the man hadn’t glanced side to side, she never would have noticed it.
Lauren watched him walk to the end of a dock a hundred yards or so away, his gaze sweeping the
perimeter of the cove. What he was looking for was a mystery because the lake was deserted except
for a pair of Canada geese floating by.
Maybe he was just enjoying the gorgeous weather. It was . . . idyllic might be the right word, with
the verdant trees, the deep-blue hue of the rippling water, the warm summer breeze, and not to
mention the solitude. Her last vacation in a bathing suit, book in hand, had been on a beautiful, but
crowded, ocean beach. This was better.
It had been hot in the full sun and she wasn’t too much for sunbathing anyway, so she’d taken her
towel to where a weeping willow trailed branches into the water and the cobalt shadows were nice
and cool, and settled on the grass bank. Propped on one elbow she’d watched the stranger turn and
press a button on the device in his hand. One of the boathouse doors lifted and she realized it must be
like a garage door opener. He went in through the door and a moment later an engine started and a
sleek motorboat backed out of one of the bays. It was interesting he wore dark slacks, a light-blue
dress shirt, and leather loafers. It was not exactly boating apparel in her opinion. His hair was fair
and short, and he had a Roman nose, she could see even from a distance, that dominated his face.
The boat pulled up at the dock and the man clambered out, tied it to a metal cleat presumably
bolted to the dock just for that purpose, and walked down the length of the pier. He dragged an oblong
object down wrapped in a tarp and dropped it in the boat. It wasn’t lightweight since the craft bobbed
in the water and a second later he jumped in and went to unwrap the rope. He visibly froze as he
caught sight of her on her towel on the bank, and then he just went about untying the boat, sat down,
put it into throttle and sped away.
It was a little off-key, but then again Rob had said his uncle rarely used the house. Maybe his
neighbor had just been surprised to realize it was occupied.
“Hey, babe.”
 Lauren glanced up. “Hey back at you.”
Drew dropped on the towel beside her and smiled in his heart-stopping way. In only swim trunks,
he was pretty noticeable from a female perspective all the way around. He picked up her novel,
studying the cover. “Seducing the Highlander? Really?”
“I love it. Scottish historical romance. Who can beat that?” She snatched it back, laughing. “Men
in kilts tossing logs around and wielding swords? When I’m done, I’ll loan it to you.”
“I suppose I could read it in a closet somewhere where no one will see me and doubt my
masculinity. I’ll have to watch sports twice as much in front of everyone to make up for it.”
“I really don’t see how that is possible. That’s all you watch now anyway.” He really did tune
into ESPN or some similar channel the first opportunity he had in his free time, but he really didn’t
have a lot of it.
“Right now, I want to go swimming.” He leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue doing a slow
seductive glide along her lower lip. “With a beautiful woman in a very sexy bikini. Do you know
one? I do.”
Lauren eyed the lake. “It’s hot out here but that water looks cold.”
“Jump in and it is all over in a flash. Like ripping off a bandage.” He got to his feet and reached
for her hand.
She argued, as she evaded him. “When we vacationed in northern Wisconsin my grandfather
always said it was better to be a warm chicken than a cold hero. I’ll wade in and get used to it step by
step.”
“I’ll help you be a hero.” He flashed a wicked grin.
“Drew Fletcher! Don’t you dare throw me in.” She really didn’t want to be tossed into the lake
and scrambled up from her towel to flee.
Maybe two steps onto the dock and she slammed right into a hard, bare male chest. The man who
caught her held her in the circle of his arm. He said, “Whoa, is this loser bothering you? I’ll protect
you, Lauren.”
Rob. She just couldn’t catch a break. They were skin to skin for a moment while she regained her
balance, and she said almost inaudibly, “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were back down here.”
He let her go. “No problem. I like it when pretty girls throw themselves into my arms.”
When she turned around Drew’s expression was a little taut, or maybe she just imagined it. He
shrugged and then grinned. “Okay, remind me to ambush you next time and skip declaring my evil
intentions. I’m going in. Hanson, chicken or hero?”
Rob was already on the move. “I’ll beat you in, loser boy.”
“Like hell.”
The competition was funny to watch, two grown men racing down the dock like young boys on a
hot summer day. They both hit the water, Rob in a clean dive and Drew a cannonball, and they both
came up at the same time, laughing and shaking the hair out of their eyes.
Drew shouted out. “And the winner is?”
“I declare a tie,” Lauren said, the irony of it not escaping her once the words were out of her
mouth.
Chapter Four
They were swimming, playing in the water, lots of friendly competition going on between the two
young men as an impromptu race ensued toward the point that marked a channel to the rest of the
lake. Glenn adjusted the telescope on the upper deck he used to see the night sky — which was
often spectacular and astronomy was one of his hobbies — toward the water.
The young woman was floating on a raft and he couldn’t help but admire the view. Those
young, firm breasts . . . and she was slender but not so slender there wasn’t a curve in sight, which
he appreciated. His wife obsessed over her weight constantly and he’d grown weary of it.
Long chestnut hair with hints of gold . . . she was lovely. He liked that word. It implied both
beauty and grace.
She’d seen him leave in the boat.
He really hoped that didn’t prove unfortunate for her.
***
Great day.
Almost.
No argument could be made about the weather so far. Absolutely perfect. As it moved toward
late evening white clouds began to build tiered castles in the sky, signaling a summer storm rolling in,
as did the wind picking up and whistling through the trees. Drew was the designated cook for the
evening since they’d promised to not pile it all on Lauren, but he’d cheated and gotten his Aunt Ida to
make her famous lasagna and frozen it, so all he had to do was thaw it and put it in the oven.
Purchased garlic bread and he was home free.
His cooking skills did not exist. He’d eaten exotic foods all over the world from Argentina to
Bali to Morocco, but he couldn’t prepare them.
Neither Lauren nor Rob was fooled. Rob said, “Please tell me what I smell is Ida’s Italian.”
Thunder rumbled in the background.
There were two open bottles of wine on the counter, one a Chianti to complement the meal, and
one a crisp Sauvignon Blanc Lauren was sipping at the moment. She raised her brows. “Not that I
object in any way to his devious plan, but do you think he made it? Drew might pull off heating up a
can of soup if he had to do it.”
“This doubt is shattering my self-confidence,” Drew said in false affront. “Maybe I made it. Why
couldn’t she have given me her recipe? I can read. If you can read, you can cook.”
They were sitting around the huge kitchen island comfortably after a day on the water, and Lauren
had set the dining-room table. “You don’t want to cook,” she pointed out accurately. She’d changed
into a filmy blue top over a camisole and shorts, pink toenails visible in her sandals. “And I don’t
know anyone with more self-confidence.”
He took a piece of cheese and a cracker from a plate she’d set out. Those crackers were wafer
thin and the cheese had some sort of spice to it. If he had to call it, horseradish. He was a fan. “On
some levels I do okay.”
He wished he wasn’t joking. Normally yes, he took life as it came, but this situation was a little
different. He wished they didn’t get his meaning exactly but had a feeling both she and Rob did. The
last thing he wanted was to ruin the evening, so he added lightly, “Lasagna just isn’t one of them. If
you think I baked the bread too, and whipped up the garlic butter, you are not living in the real world.
That’s not devious, that’s just doing you a favor.”
Rob laughed. “I was going to give you the garlic butter. I’m pretty sure either you or I could both
manage that.”
“Maybe.”
“Hey, I’m not claiming I can do much better. I should have invited Aunt Ida to come with us
instead of Karen.”
“She’s five foot tall, has gray hair, and her glasses are constantly falling off her nose, but if that
turns you on, maybe you should have.”
“I have a crush on her via her lasagna,” Rob said with a small smile. “Does that count? It smells
damn good in here.”
“It counts.” Lauren lightly twirled her glass. “When will Karen be here?”
“Not until ten or so.”
“It is a long drive, so that makes sense. Luckily, she can warm up dinner if she’s hungry. I hope
she misses the storm.” Lauren was obviously trying to be gracious, or else just resigned. It was hard
to tell.
Drew would rather have Ida, but she’d never approve of him and Lauren sharing a room, so
maybe not. Karen wouldn’t care. If she sensed the truth, she’d prefer it so she could have a shot at
persuading Rob into the same arrangement for the two of them. He suggested, “After-dinner drinks
overlooking the lake while we wait for her? There’s a full moon rising soon. According to my phone
it should be beautiful out there with a starlit sky once the front rolls through.”
“Sounds great.” Rob backed him up.
“Hello?”
The rap on the screen door was almost tentative in nature, and Drew looked up, startled. They
were all startled in fact. The man standing outside was tall and had sandy hair and an apologetic
smile on his face. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I live next door, and I noticed someone was here. I
was out and about and thought I’d stop by.”
Slight southern accent, maybe mid-fifties, a diffident air, and even on this warm summer evening,
a nice golf shirt, tailored slacks, and expensive leather loafers. Rob was technically the host and slid
off his stool to go over to slide open the screen. “We didn’t hear you pull up. I’m Rob Hanson. Jim is
my uncle.” He put out his hand and the stranger shook it. “This is Drew Fletcher and Lauren
Mathews.”
“Glenn Heaston. You didn’t hear me because I came by canoe. It’s a perfect evening for a paddle,
or so I thought.”
“I would say it is going to storm in about two seconds.” As if to validate that, lightning flashed in
a vivid pattern across the sky, followed by a crack that rattled the expensive windows. Rob said
nicely, “Come on in to have a glass of wine or cup of coffee? I don’t think the canoe sounds like a
good idea right now.”
“Maybe you’re correct. I’m afraid I’ve been working all day and didn’t check the forecast. I’d
love a glass of wine.”
“Red or white?”
“Either would be nice.”
That’s how they ended up having a drink with a bestselling author on a stormy evening.
 “My wife is out of town,” Heaston said conversationally. “She likes to travel and I like to stay
home. It makes for a more congenial relationship. Angela only likes the house here in small doses. I
love solitude, and she likes to shop, which I loathe. So she joins me when she feels like it. Perfect.
We have an understanding that when I am working on a new novel, she goes home to Lexington.” He
shrugged. “Or anywhere else she wants to go.”
Drew had to laugh. “Rob and I like to fish, and Lauren likes to read. That works out for us as
well.”
“I think I saw her reading on the bank earlier today.” Heaston gave Lauren a charming smile.
“One of my books dare I hope?”
“Historical romance, I’m afraid.” She smiled back. “I’m hopelessly hooked.”
“It is a popular genre. Some of my books are historical but take a slant more toward a
psychological view on the anatomy of how serial criminals behave. There are sexual situations
certainly in there.” He smiled. “There would be, of course. We are all human and that’s perfectly
natural, but they are based on true stories with a fictional set of characters. Not exactly romance —
more people flexing their skills at intrigue and subterfuge, so sex included but never a happily ever
after, I’m afraid.”
“I know my uncle read at least one and enjoyed it because he mentioned it to me.” Rob leaned
against the counter, his expression thoughtful. “I think I saw it in the bookcase upstairs.” Outside all
hell had broken loose in the form of a furious downpour that pounded the roof and pelted the deck. “I
hope you really tied up that canoe.”
“I put it under Ms. Mathews’ reading tree and turned it upside down once I heard the thunder. It
shouldn’t go anywhere.”
The lasagna was ready and he needed to check the garlic bread, so what the hell. Drew offered,
“Would you like to stay for dinner? If your wife is out of town, no need to eat alone. We have plenty.”
That wasn’t an exaggeration. Ida had made enough for a small army instead of a pan for four people.
“I don’t want to intrude.”
Rob helped out. “You wouldn’t be. Besides, once you taste this lasagna, you’ll be happy this was
a good night for a paddle even if it went south. Join us.”
***
Nice dinner. Food was delicious because Drew’s aunt was like a magician or something — just
because he was blond didn’t mean part of his family wasn’t from Italy — and the storm rolled through
and subsided as they ate, though the lights did flicker once or twice.
Lauren had to make the observation: “The lake is so beautiful, sun or storm.”
“You can thank the TVA for its existence, though I think the dam has been rebuilt by the Army
Corps of Engineers since it was created. They finally put in an overflow pipe so it wouldn’t flood any
longer. That pipe is about ten feet in diameter and allows the rising water to pour into the small river
behind and eventually feeds into the Tennessee.” He paused and quoted softly, “‘Far off from these a
slow and silent stream, Lethe the river of oblivion rolls’.”
Automatically, she said, “Oh. Paradise Lost.”
His expression reflected surprise. “You know your Milton, I see.”
“I love to read even the classics. I have a minor in English. So the lake has been here for a while.
That’s interesting.”
 Heaston’s tone was reflective. “My wife’s family was farsighted and bought the property decades
ago. They are the ones who sold off most of the lots for the houses to be built here once the flooding
issue was solved. My wife is a part of the history of this place even if she finds it unexciting. So what
do you do, Ms. Mathews?” Heaston asked between bites.
“I’m a graphic designer for an advertising firm.”
“Artistic then. That always appeals to me, as I find imaginative people interesting especially
when they are the prettiest one at the table, though your companions give you a run for your money.
This, by the way, really is the best lasagna I have ever had.”
She had no idea how to take that comment at all. It seemed odd.
Give you a run for your money?
His sexual preferences didn’t matter to her, but maybe he was gay? He was a good-looking man,
fit and certainly well dressed for a lake-house setting in the woods, but that would be to stereotype
him, and she avoided doing that. She truly felt sexual preference was a personal choice and should be
looked at that way and the right of every human being, but the remark was a little strange.
“Baked it myself,” Drew said with a straight face, lounging comfortably in his chair.
“Note the way that is phrased,” Rob said dryly. “And I believe a bakery on the way from Ohio to
here is responsible for the bread, but I have to agree, use all available resources. In college we ate at
this place called Ted’s. The cheapest hamburgers ever . . . but for some reason I can’t fathom, I miss
them.”
Drew agreed. “Ted’s was the best. Ketchup and mustard, I think that was it.”
“Oh, come on, there was that one pickle.” Rob grinned.
“It was a treat when you found the pickle bite.”
Heaston clearly found the conversation amusing. “You two are obviously old friends then.”
“We are. Even survived being college roommates.”
Lauren hoped they survived her. There was tension between her and Drew, there was tension
between her and Rob, and there was certainly tension between the both of them. That moment on the
dock, Rob had held her just a shade too long and she hadn’t missed it.
And she couldn’t believe it but Heaston apparently noticed on such short acquaintance there was
an interesting dynamic. He said, “Ah, and our femme fatale here must also be a friend?”
“Not for nearly as long. They’ve known each other since grade school. I’m a newcomer to the
mix.”
That certainly came out awkwardly.
She stood up, suddenly glad the storm had passed, and picked up her plate. “Would anyone like
dessert? Drew picked up some fantastic white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies when he bought
the bread. I can make coffee, or there’s more wine.”
“I should probably take my leave and thank you for the refuge from the storm and lovely meal.”
Heaston stood as well. “Let me help you clear the table.”
“We’ve got this.” Rob and Drew were in accord and started gathering silverware, working in
tandem. “This is the easy part,” Drew said facetiously. “Whipping up that lasagna was the hard part. I
will be eating cookies just for the record.”
Heaston departed then on a gracious thank you, and none of them said a word about the femme
fatale comment, which was telling because Drew would normally have cracked a joke of some kind.
It was Rob who said, “Nice man. A little interesting, but we aren’t all cut from the same bolt of
cloth, or so they say.”
“Writers are supposed to be eccentric. It is part of the persona,” Lauren commented as she rinsed
a dish and handed it to Drew to put in the dishwasher. “Well, actually, that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t
know that I’ve ever met one before tonight, or not a famous one like him anyway. I’ve certainly seen
his books on the shelves when I haunt the bookstores now that I think about it.”
“Eccentric certainly pairs with not bothering to look up at the sky before taking off in a canoe
with a storm on the way,” Rob commented. “I’m apparently not eccentric at all. I look at the weather
forecast and take dark clouds on the horizon seriously.”
“You’re talking to a pilot,” Drew pointed out. “I check it constantly out of habit. Did he imply you
and I might be gay? Like . . . together?”
“I have no idea.”
“Damn, I need a skull tattoo on my neck or something.”
“Yeah, help yourself, and just so you know, you aren’t my type.” Rob took out some polish for the
beautiful trestle table. “I think even with that downpour we can have our drinks outside because the
covered portion of the deck should be dry.”
Lauren carried what was left of her wine outside and chose a chair and naturally Rob chose one
on her right and Drew on her left, so she was in the middle.
She was fairly sure Heaston had been trying to decide which way the romantic interest lay
between the three of them. If she pointed that out to Drew and Rob, the three of them might have to
talk about it and she just wasn’t ready for it. Nor was she ready to ruin their vacation, especially right
before Karen’s arrival which was just going to add to the drama.
Actually, she didn’t know how to talk about it.
The breeze smelled like rain — clean and cool after the hot day —and the eaves dripped in a
steady rhythm. The lake view was enough to make anyone relax, and Drew was such a typical male
he’d just brought out the bag of cookies instead of bothering with a plate, setting it down with a
flourish. “Dessert is served.”
Rob’s phone rang at that moment and he answered it. “Hi Karen. Yes, rain here too. It’s done and
clearing. We’re sitting outside. The stars are coming out.”
They were, the clouds tearing apart like soft cotton candy, in long thin layers with small brilliant
lights in the background.
“The driveway is hard to find, so follow your GPS. We’ll have the place lit up, so you won’t be
able to miss it. Park out back, you’ll see my truck and Drew’s fancy car.”
End of call.
Drew said conversationally, “Since we all three know the score, Lauren through Karen, and you
talked to me about it, feel free to point out it’s none of my business, but is Karen going to be pissed
about separate bedrooms? If your answer is yes, I might go get another beer right now. I’m looking at
the Rob Hanson weather report and seeing a dark cloud on his horizon.”
Lauren wondered about that too, but leave it to Drew to state it out loud.
“Probably.” Rob sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I am uninterested in giving her the
wrong impression about our relationship. That’s not fair to her or to me either. I half wonder if
inviting herself on this vacation wasn’t a test of some kind. Get me another beer too, if you don’t
mind.”
Drew disappeared inside.
 “I didn’t realize she invited herself,” Lauren said.
Rob looked out over the water, his expression hard to read. “It was my mistake to mention this
trip. I believe I said key words that implied a masculine venue like ‘fishing’ and ‘drinking beer’ and
her response was that if you were going to be here, she’d love to come. I could have lied and said you
were going to hike up Everest this week, but that sort of thing never works in my experience since I’m
not a great liar. When she canceled because of work I was relieved, but she seems bent on joining us,
so brace for a lot of her company. I’m still fishing and swimming.”
“I don’t dislike Karen.” Lauren tried to be as diplomatic as possible. “I’m still going to read and
sit in the sun. I suspect she’ll be on her phone and email the entire time, so it won’t matter.” She
paused. “Without her being so pushy, would you have invited me?”
He looked at her directly then. “No. And I think maybe you know why.”
Chapter Five
He recognized certain traits in himself for what they were. He’d ever been an observer, a perpetual
player sitting on the bench, and his participation was minimal. His true skill was to discover what
drove people, how to define motivation — in short, what were their demons.
Maybe it was a desire to discover his as well.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, and that intrigued him.
So did the Beautiful Trio, as he’d dubbed them. It was interesting to spend an evening with two
good-looking young men and a very pretty woman, and not get a sense of territory or power. Even
in a pack of wolves there was a dominant male and he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it
between just two of them.
Mesmerizing.
He might set aside his current work for a bit and start a new book. He often did that when he
was inspired.
***
The sound of a car made Rob set aside his drink and the next minute he saw the arcs of headlights
hit the trees and water.
Here we go.
He got up and went down the steps just in time to hear the car door slam as he hit the bottom. That
won him points and a kiss as Karen got out of the car. Her lips were warm against his. He could smell
her perfume. “Um, thought I’d never get here. This really is remote.”
Why he felt so guilty wasn’t a mystery. She really was a knockout — blonde hair, intense dark
eyes, tall and he wasn’t sure if her breasts were real, but they certainly were worth a second glance.
Smart was part of the package as well, but the chemistry just wasn’t there, not like it should be
anyway. He was twenty-eight and wanted a wife and to start a family at least sometime soon, but he
just couldn’t picture Karen in that role, so he was wasting his time, and her time.
Not necessarily his fault, but he still felt guilty all around.
That he could picture Lauren in that role was just plain unfortunate. It had occurred to him once
again Karen would be much better suited to someone like Drew because she was so intensely career-
focused his absences for weeks at a time wouldn’t bother her.
Rob favored the sexy-girl-next-door type apparently.
“Other than the rain, was it a nice drive?” He took out her suitcase.
“I sat in stopped traffic here and there on the interstate, but all in all, yes.” She gazed upward.
“What a gorgeous place.”
It did look impressive with all the tiers of lights up to the third story. “My uncle does okay.”
“I’d say so. Tell me you’re his favorite nephew.”
“We haven’t had that discussion.” He gestured at the stairs with his free hand. “There’s a glass of
wine or anything else you’d like waiting for you. I’ll take this upstairs while you join Drew and
Lauren on the deck.”
That was neutral enough.
Maybe there was a blow-up headed his way. He just wasn’t looking forward to it. No one did, he
knew that, but doing it in front of an audience was even worse. He climbed the stairs, took Karen’s
bags into the room across the landing from his, and set them down next to her bed.
More than once it had occurred to him he was overcomplicating the situation.
Deep breath in, and he went downstairs.
Karen was relaxed in lightweight jeans and a silk shirt, drinking a glass of wine, and he could
hear her laughing before he even slid the glass door open. That was a good sign and probably due to
Drew, who certainly could be a mood lightener if he sensed the wind needed to blow that direction.
It did.
They would share a bathroom, which was fine with him, but if they weren’t sharing a bedroom,
maybe not for her. He went and sat. “Everything is by the bed.”
“A bathing suit and a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt are about all you’ll need.” Lauren
indicated with a swirl of her hand at her own attire. “This is dressed up.”
“Maybe we can ask Dr. Heaston if there’s a decent restaurant nearby,” Drew remarked. “It
sounds like he spends a lot of time here.”
“Closest neighbor,” Rob clarified for Karen. “He stopped by earlier and is kind of an interesting
guy. Professor of history, but also a writer.”
“Not Glenn Heaston?” Karen looked impressed and that wasn’t easy to do. “I haven’t read him,
but my sister has. She’s into that sensational historical fiction. I recognize the name. If you know him,
I wonder if I can get a signature for her. She’d love it. She’s a real fan.”
“I’m pretty sure he would,” Rob said but without certainty. “Don’t most authors want to do that,
or at least that’s my impression. It doesn’t hurt to ask. He seems nice enough.”
“I can ask,” Karen replied with a small smile over the rim of her wine glass. “Don’t sell me
short. Shyness is not my problem.”
A declaration he found to be true about an hour later. It was getting late when Lauren yawned and
said she was going to bed. Karen had a long drive behind her, so she agreed she might turn in as well.
To his surprise there was also no argument either over the separate rooms, she just asked for the
bathroom first. He waited, brushed his teeth, stripped down to boxers and was half-asleep when he
realized someone had come into the moonlit room.
Shit.
Karen was naked, the light slanting off her breasts, emphasizing the darkness between her thighs,
and she shook back her hair right before she crawled on top of him. Bare breasts to bare chest. “I can
wake you up.”
He protested huskily, “Karen, I’m sure you can, but—”
“But what?”
Rob found she was right, because quite frankly she was stripping off the sheet, pulling down his
shorts, and using her hands and mouth in a way his traitorous body responded to the physical
stimulation, but . . .
It just wasn’t a good idea.
He shut his eyes but didn’t even for a moment let himself pretend it was someone else. “I don’t
have a condom.” Last-minute thought, but a valid one. And the truth.
“I’m on birth control.”
“I’m sorry to draw a line in the sand but no unprotected sex ever for me until I’m ready to have
children and we aren’t there yet, are we?”
He didn’t add that taking her word for that birth control promise was a leap off a cliff into shark-
infested waters. Not for a minute did he think she wanted to get pregnant because she was so career-
oriented, but on the other hand they’d really only been dating a few months, so he didn’t by any means
know her that well.
She looked up at him. “Are you serious?”
“I really am.”
“I didn’t think guys like you existed.” Her voice was curt.
But she left the room and he shut his eyes and swore softly under his breath, unsatisfied all the
way around.
***
Lauren made omelets for breakfast. Cheese and green peppers and sausage, and she also knew the
way to a man’s heart with some cinnamon rolls, even if they were out of a can.
Drew’s vote was she should take over all of the cooking but that really wasn’t fair and he’d
promised that wasn’t going to be the arrangement.
They were all out on the deck and it was a beautiful morning. Rob had certainly been quiet when
they’d gone fishing, game on, early that morning. Mist drifting across the water, no sound but the hum
of the electric motor as they trolled . . . it had been perfect. Both of them had caught some respectable
bass, and Rob had eased up a bit as time passed, because truthfully, fishing was a relaxing pastime.
It wasn’t hard to guess at the source of the initial tension.
Lauren had fallen right to sleep the night before, making love not an option to his disappointment,
but a long day of sun and water was why they were there, and she’d definitely drunk more wine than
she usually did.
But he hadn’t been quite so lucky. Lying there with his arms crossed behind his head he’d heard
Rob and Karen talking on the next floor, and then maybe a little bit more.
He wasn’t going to say anything. Rob wasn’t happy in either direction and he couldn’t really
blame him. If Drew had to call it, whatever had happened wasn’t on his initiative. In fact, he was
certain of it.
For once he just left it alone. Usually if something was bothering him, he just said it, but for now
the sun was shining, and things were complicated enough.
Karen on the other hand had been in a bad mood. Lauren certainly noticed. Drew could tell she
mentally connected the dots and he wondered with a stab of jealousy he couldn’t help, how she felt
about it. From the unguarded look on her face the minute she realized why Karen’s demeanor was so
foul, she wasn’t any happier than Rob.
Damn. That made four of them. He so wished he hadn’t recognized that for what it was. He
wished he didn’t care about both of them, but he did, which made it all worse on his end.
“Back out in the boat?” Rob suggested once breakfast was cleared away. “I’m not willing to
waste a minute of this weather.”
“Sounds good to me,” Drew agreed with alacrity.
Lauren said, “I’m going to get my book and you’ll find me in my usual spot.”
“No rest for the wicked, I have to prepare some briefs and make a few calls.” Karen pointed to
her laptop sitting on the kitchen counter. “Everyone, go and enjoy.”
So much for the great out of doors, Drew thought sarcastically, but he’d never entertained the
illusion that’s why Karen had come in the first place. Rob had a target on his back and he’d won
round one, but round two was coming.
“We’ll give the fish your best regards.”
At least Rob finally smiled as they walked out on the deck. “The ‘fish your best regards’? Did
you just really say that?”
Drew laughed ruefully, carrying a cooler down the steps. “It was a bit of a dig. Why is it I don’t
think Karen values the idea of R and R very much. We all work hard but at least you and I and Lauren
can unwind a little bit. I think Lauren called it. Karen’s attached to her phone with an umbilical cord
or something. If you think I have mine on me, you’d be wrong. I might check my email the day before
we leave just to see if there are any flight schedule changes.”
“She’s pissed at me.”
“I know.”
Rob followed him and went to unwind the mooring of the boat when they reached the dock.
“Look on the bright side. I doubt she’ll ask either of us to teach her how to fish.”
It wasn’t like Drew doubted it too. “That was never a worry for me.”
“No, I can’t see it myself.”
“You okay?”
The question of the hour.
Rob straightened, dropping the rope into the boat, giving him a level look. “I’m fine.”
Topic still off limits. Drew shrugged. “It isn’t a mystery to me what happened last night and you
don’t seem too happy about it either.”
“I’m not,” Rob said shortly. “She sure forced a decision on me. A firm no thanks resulted in a
midnight argument with a naked attorney. That argument was inevitable, but it definitely seemed like
the wrong time for it.” He got in the boat to hook up the trolling motor to the battery. “Sorry you had to
hear it. Now I’m trying like hell to figure out how to avoid a repeat performance tonight. That wasn’t
a pun by the way.”
“You do realize most guys try to get women into bed, right?” Drew said immediately after he
uttered the words, “Sorry, poor joke. Karen isn’t your type after all, and you think it is wrong to sleep
with her all week and then break it off. Good summary of the situation?”
Unfortunately, Drew thought, Lauren was Rob’s type. This triangle was unfair to all three of them
if he looked at it dispassionately, which wasn’t exactly easy. Loyalty was a fine emotion but torn
loyalty was pretty hard to handle.
“Close enough,” Rob said. “You and I both know there’s more to it than that.”
Drew settled into his seat. “It’s a nice day and I vote we just talk about something else. Women’s
golf? I don’t really know anything about it, but you can fill me in.”
“I’d have to watch it first.”
“Watch me catch more fish than you do, how’s that?” Drew spun off a cast.
It was a nice one too, and the satisfying splash helped a little. He’d been raised by a wonderful
mother who sometimes tried too hard, and a neglectful father who didn’t try at all. Both made him
determined to succeed, the first for how much effort she’d put in before she died way too young, and
the second by him not giving a damn. His father had never taken him fishing — that had been his
maternal grandfather. He’d loved that kind old man.
So he did know how to make a good cast, and he did appreciate the outdoors.
“You’re dreaming about catching more fish,” Rob informed him.
 “We were tied earlier.”
A gleam caught his eye, and Drew glanced up sharply. He had a clear view at that moment of
Heaston’s deck and realized the flash was from a telescope mounted on a rail facing the lake. It was a
brief glimpse and he thought how he would definitely have one himself in this setting.
Except someone was there.
Looking at them.
It wasn’t like a deep, dark secret, the man even waved. Drew waved back, and said, “Heaston’s
out on his deck above the boathouse. At least I think it’s him. I’m not sure.”
Chapter Six
Well, he had to admit he was curious. The Beautiful Trio had added a fourth and it threw him off,
because as the men went out in the boat, two women came out of the house. Not really comfortably
chatting, but friendly enough with each other. He wondered where the blonde came in because he
hadn’t seen her before.
Nice bosom, tall for a woman, and she didn’t go down toward the water, but settled in a chair
on the deck and started playing with a tablet device. Lauren Mathews on the other hand headed
right for her shady spot on the bank, book in hand. He admired the glossy fall of her hair, the
gentle sway of her breasts as she settled into position, and wondered which of her companions
she’d slept with the night before. It was an interesting sexual fantasy because there was a civilized
— yet primal — battle going on over this young woman.
To couch it in academic terms, she was the prize both of those young men coveted on an
emotional and physical level and Glenn had the sense she didn’t want to choose. Throughout
history men had fought over women. Brothers versus brothers, sworn enemies clashing weapons,
friends against friends . . .
This was going to give him exactly what he needed for his book.
The blonde didn’t really interest him at all. She was an annoyance really, disturbing his
inspiration.
***
Lauren dipped a toe in the water, found it cool but it was a hot day so that was appealing, and she
picked up one of the rafts Rob had brought down. Getting on it without falling into the lake involved
some skill set she hadn’t quite mastered yet and she managed only getting half-wet before she settled
in.
She hoped no one was watching that graceless maneuver.
Blue skies and not one wisp of a cloud in the azure arc above her. The storm the night before
might never have happened. She paddled with her arms backward until she was floating free and was
happy she was wearing sunscreen.
Not so happy otherwise.
Rob was a grown man. He could make his own choices. But while she was pretty sure she knew
what had happened last night from Karen’s mood, she was positive he didn’t like that the conflict had
happened.
She just shouldn’t care either way.
But, unfairly, she did.
The only redeeming thing was Karen hadn’t directly confided in her, and Lauren was fine with
that. Details she didn’t need or want. It was between them.
This was only Sunday. She could get through this week, right?
The boat was quiet and Lauren was self-absorbed enough that she didn’t realize Rob and Drew
were back until she heard the splash. Drew surfaced next to her raft, grinning. He tickled her right calf
with a wet hand. “What do you know, I found a beautiful sea nymph. Methinks she might be in danger
of a good dunking. I was foiled yesterday, my pretty wench.”
He could always make her laugh. “Is that your best pirate imitation? I think it might need some
work. Sea nymphs and even wenches, just so you know, don’t like to be dunked.”
“Okay, okay,” he said on a mock grumble. “Come on in the water and play. No dunking, I
promise. The lake feels great.”
She couldn’t resist. It was just too tempting. She sat up on the raft — carefully — and dangled her
legs in the water. “I’m a chicken, remember, so let me get used to it.”
Then she abruptly pushed off and grabbed his shoulders and shoved him underwater. The element
of surprise worked nicely, but she did a wise retreat. When he resurfaced, she was already a few feet
away and reminded him, “You promised.”
“Note to self, never trust sexy sea nymphs.” He splashed her in retribution.
She splashed back. “Or call someone a wench.”
There was no doubt she lost the ensuing war, and any fish in the vicinity had taken a vacation
elsewhere due to the commotion. Trying to outdistance Drew in swimming was a futile effort, but she
almost made it to the dock before he caught up with her. He whispered in her ear, “If we didn’t have
an audience, I’d kiss you and hopefully do a whole lot more, but for now I’ll settle for a simple white
flag of surrender.”
“All right, you won.”
“Oh, I intend to,” he said softly.
She thought there might be an innuendo of a second meaning.
***
Rob retrieved the floating raft and tied up the boat.
He was pretty sure he didn’t really want to go up and talk to Karen but felt he should at least join
her. He ascended the steps and essayed what he hoped was a passable smile as he joined her at the
glass table. “Enjoying the sun?”
“Nice to be able to work in my bathing suit.” She shut off her device.
“I completely agree.”
“I hope that’s a compliment.”
“It is.” No doubt about it, she filled out that skimpy top nicely. He’d never denied her physical
beauty. “Want a glass of iced tea? Wine? Bottle of water? I’m going to get a beer. It’s past noon.”
“Well, why not make it wine. I’m on vacation.”
“Be right back,” he promised and went in the French doors. The wall of windows showcased the
cloudless skies but did not reflect his mood. He removed the cork from a bottle of Chardonnay from
his uncle’s seemingly vast collection — the wine cellar downstairs was very well-stocked — and
grabbed a cold beer from the fridge.
He took the bottle and a glass both outside and set them on the table.
“Are you trying to get me intoxicated so you can take advantage of my virtue?” She leaned
forward on purpose, so he’d get an eyeful. “No need. Last night could have been better.”
This was treacherous ground. He said carefully, “I know I’m kind of on the conservative side and
wonder if we shouldn’t figure out our emotional relationship before we jump into a physical one.
There’s no agenda, just that.”
Karen just looked at him with derision. “I hate to point this out, but physical is important.”
There was the problem. She’d just blithely dismissed the importance of an emotional
relationship. He raised his brows. “Shouldn’t there be both?”
 “Since we’ve only been dating a few months, last night would have helped a lot in the ‘getting to
know you’ department.”
“Sex is not the basis of a relationship in my opinion.”
She poured a generous glass of wine. “Why is it I usually go for the conservative guys?”
He didn’t have an easy response to that playful comment. “No idea,” he responded dryly. “We’re
the boring ones.”
“I don’t find you boring at all.” Hand on his knee suddenly, Karen looked at him meaningfully.
“I would think a hotshot pilot like Drew would be more your style.”
“Seems to me he’s taken. I’m going to guess you’ll be best man at a wedding before long.”
That was his fear too and the worst part would be that he’d want to be happy for both the bride
and groom but might not be able to actually achieve that goal. There was going to be considerable
personal conflict going on. “It’s been put out there.”
“I’d bet you make more money than he does. His job sounds sexy, but I have a fair idea what you
IT guys can make. Sorry, but money is power, and power is sexy.”
That was a superficial observation if he’d ever heard one.
“I actually have no idea,” Rob said evenly. “He and I haven’t exchanged that information.” He
glanced down at the lake. He’d never tire of the view of woods and water. “It looks like Lauren is
back to her book and Drew is taking a siesta on the dock. I’m going to go jump in. Care to go for a
swim?”
“Care to go upstairs? Like you said, they both seem occupied.” Her smile was provocative
despite their argument. “I’ve only had a little wine and here I am, thinking about sex.”
Moment of truth. It was better, he told himself as he weighed his words, to get it over with.
“I’m pretty happy with a nice swim on this beautiful day.” He might be conservative, but he was
also a realist. He got to his feet.
“You’re turning me down again?” She sounded incredulous.
“Remember that emotional thing I just mentioned? I meant it. For both our sakes.”
“Is there someone else?”
That stopped him. Rob halted and turned around. “I wouldn’t mind if you clarified that question.”
“Are you seeing someone else?”
Rob squared his shoulders. He wanted this conversation, but yet he didn’t. “I’m not seeing
anyone else, but I am trying to get over an attraction to someone that just isn’t going to work out.”
“Is it Lauren?” She said it loudly too, probably on purpose because the woman in question
looked up from her book.
He had to admit that took him off guard, but Drew had guessed it too. He settled on: “Why does it
matter who it is?”
“It is her. That’s why you’re so detached? It seems to be the right word.” She was angry, and he
didn’t blame her to a certain extent, but on the other hand, he’d truly been railroaded into this position
with Karen. She clarified in clipped tones. “I’ve just always had this feeling because of the way you
look at her.”
“I wouldn’t mind if we could keep this conversation more private.”
“Too bad. I’m shit out of luck then, huh?” She stood up and gave him a tight smile. “I thought this
was a long shot from the beginning. You’ve been polite to me. I will give you that. God, I am so
pissed I wasted my time coming here. I’m going home.”
 Maybe he would have argued with that decision, but that would have been extremely
hypocritical. He hadn’t wanted her to come in the first place, flat out. He wasn’t going to go that
route, so he explained frankly. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you this wasn’t going to work
out. I’m sorry. I really did not want to hurt your feelings.”
She looked back over her shoulder as she walked into the house and shot back scathingly, “My
feelings? Don’t flatter yourself. My pride a little, but I’m already over it.”
He felt bad, but then again, relieved.
He went down the steps and walked past Drew, whose eyes were wide open despite his
seemingly relaxed pose on a towel like he was napping in the sun, hands behind his head. “Well,”
Rob said in passing, “that discussion went well. Not.”
“I heard her part of it anyway. I think most of the county did. She has no problem raising her
voice. There was definitely a ‘hell hath no fury’ moment going on.”
“I believe I noticed that. I’m going for a swim.”
Rob dove into the water. It was cool and cleansing and helped somewhat. He swam vigorously to
the point where the lake led into the channel connecting to the next lake, and then turned around. At
least she was leaving. The argument was over and resolved. It didn’t fix his life but it helped cross
something off the list.
Lauren had heard it as well. So be it, what was he supposed to do?
Take a long swim, that’s what.
Neither she nor Drew were in sight when he got back and climbed out of the water.
He toweled off and resigned himself to going back up to the house. Not quite the restful afternoon
he imagined, but then again Karen’s car was gone.
Another uncomfortable discussion was in front of him, and he didn’t want to have it either, but
getting it all over with at once wasn’t a bad thing.
Someone had even maybe had made him a sandwich. Lauren wasn’t at the table, and when he
came in Drew pointed to a seat. “Lunch.”
He took a seat and accepted the plate. “Thanks. Arsenic or anything in this? Tell me Karen didn’t
leave it for me or else I’m going to make you take a bite first.” He was only half-kidding.
“No. She wasn’t all that happy when she left but Karen’s gone, so just relax. Lauren made it.
She’s up taking a shower. I think we both waited until we heard Karen’s car go to come up to the
house. She didn’t bother with fond goodbyes to either of us.”
“It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I accept full responsibility. You
heard. Don’t take it personally.” He picked up the sandwich and didn’t necessarily feel like eating,
but knew he was hungry.
“I admire you for being upfront.” Drew looked reflective, his blue eyes still holding a hint of
amusement. “You have a ton of faults, but you cannot tell a lie. Not effectively. What you needed were
three older brothers like I have. I was telling lies at two years old.”
“A ton of faults?”
“If you deny that, Hanson, you just aren’t paying attention.”
“I’m not denying anything.”
“So you didn’t lie to Karen. It didn’t exactly win you a popularity contest, but you knew you
weren’t going to get that trophy anyway.”
“I wasn’t expecting it to be pleasant. It wasn’t.”
 “If you think Karen won’t land squarely on her feet, think again. Remember, she’s ‘already over
it’.”
“I remember.”
“You’ll never hear from her again and she’ll have already blocked you from every source of her
social media.”
“You need some work on your counseling skills.” Rob set aside his sandwich.
“Hey, I have persuaded a terrified executive onto an overseas flight before cocktail hour. No easy
task. My persuasive skills are fine. I’m not talking you off a ledge here — I was pointing out the
bright side.”
“You’re relieved she’s gone.”
“Yep.” He tipped back a beer, and then said, “It was tense enough before she came breezing in
last night, and off the charts this morning.”
It hadn’t been exactly the relaxing vacation he’d planned either so far, so Rob agreed.
At least it couldn’t get worse.
Chapter Seven
The blonde had taken her bag out and tossed it in her car with a vengeance.
Interesting, since her plates indicated she’d driven quite a distance for such a short stay. As
the observer, he thought she was happy upon arrival, but not so happy on departure.
No, he knew she wasn’t happy on departure.
Why?
It did make him wonder as he watched her climb in and back out recklessly, narrowly missing
a tree.
Well, she was going and would be out of sight and out of mind. Good, he wanted rid of her.
His wish was answered a few moments later when he heard a knock on his door and went to
open it.
***
“I think maybe we should go out to dinner.”
Drew thought they needed a break after Karen’s departure and Lauren had cooked breakfast and
made lunch. “With all these highbrow houses around here, there has to be someplace nice. I might
walk over and ask Heaston if he has a recommendation. He dropped in on us in a neighborly fashion.
I don’t see a man like him sitting around making a grilled cheese sandwich so maybe he’d have a fair
idea of where we could go.”
“Let’s just drive over and see what he has to say. Otherwise, we can figure it out on our own.”
Rob seemed on board with it. Drew had a feeling he would be fine if this particular day was over. He
couldn’t really blame him. Did the three of them really need to sit around staring at each other and not
talking about it?
No.
“It sounds good to me.”
“I’ll drive so you can have a glass of expensive booze.”
Rob lifted a brow. “Sounds like a deal to me, but I don’t need a whiskey hug. I didn’t lose the
woman of my dreams.”
He didn’t have the woman of his dreams either.
Speaking of which, Lauren came into the kitchen, stunning with her hair loose and wearing a
light-blue sundress.
“Dinner on the fly?” he asked her. “Something you don’t have to cook.”
“On the fly? Such a pilot term.”
“I am a pilot. May I repeat you don’t have to cook?”
“Oh, I caught that part, trust me. It sounds very nice. Almost better than you don’t have to cook.”
At least they were still teasing each other. Some tension still, yes, but working past it. Having
Karen out of the picture helped. Everyone felt better.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with boxed macaroni and cheese. I can make a mean frozen pizza
too.”
Rob was silent during all of this. He said finally, leaning against the counter, “I’m buying. I think I
owe all of us for the drama.”
“I don’t think you really owe anyone for anything.” Lauren looked at him.
 The funny thing was Drew agreed. “That was all Karen, but a nice night out doesn’t sound bad.
Let’s drop in on Professor Heaston and ask him where we should go.”
Rob agreed. “Should be interesting. I want to see his house. My uncle said he’s pretty reclusive,
but he had no problem dropping in on us.”
“I’m going to guess that house is over the top.”
That proved to be true. It was a small mansion situated in a grove of pines and deserved the
paved driveway to the top of the hill. Glass and cedar with multiple decks like Rob’s uncle’s house
but toss in a pool with a courtyard and what appeared to be a guest house at the back.
Nice.
Heaston evidently wasn’t home or else not answering the fancy faceted front door that had an
artistic image of a weeping willow etched in the glass.
Drew checked his phone instead. “Ten miles down the road there’s a fork and go left. In
Willamette there’s a small bistro called Andre’s. The chef owns it and does all the cooking and he’s
French trained. He moved here to relax a little, according to the website. It says he’ll come out to
your table on most nights. The menu changes every day.”
They backed out and followed the directions, and Lauren said in dry observation, “If Glenn
Heaston was home, he wasn’t exactly gushing over with inviting us into the house. There was a car
there.”
“Maybe he’s not as tidy as he should be when his wife is out of town and didn’t want to show us
a messy house.” Drew thought it was a little odd too, but other than that one dinner, he didn’t know the
man.
“It’s possible he went out with friends.” Rob apparently agreed. “Or could be he has the muse
going and wanted to work uninterrupted. That’s fine with me. I’m pretty hungry actually. Floating
around in a boat all day is hard work.”
So was breaking up with a girlfriend because you’re drawn to someone else. Drew thought it
but didn’t say it.
The restaurant proved to be glass-fronted and discreetly elegant, but the parking lot was already
full, and they sat in the bar for a short while before they were seated at a nice table in a corner. Bottle
of wine delivered. All was well.
Except it wasn’t. The three of them had a lot to say to each other.
Drew was notorious for weighing in very frankly in almost all situations, but this was different.
This was his life, and the truth was, he was no angel either. This was tough because there were facets
to the situation that weren’t fair to all three of them, but full disclosure now didn’t seem like a good
decision. He chose to say instead, “Nice place.”
It was a chic mixture of country and European elegance, understated but very high-end.
“No beer mirrors in sight.” Rob took a sip from his glass. “Hmmm, great Merlot.”
“You’re buying, so I just ordered the most expensive one.” Drew said it with a straight face.
“You’d do that, Fletcher. But in this case, I’m going to let it slide. You made a wonderful choice.”
Lauren seemed more relaxed and that he didn’t expect. “This was a good idea.”
Drew gathered that Karen leaving was a very good thing for all of them, not just Rob. There was
nothing like taking a tense situation and making it even tenser. When the waitress bustled back, a
young, pretty woman in a stylish black skirt and white blouse, he went ahead and ordered for
everyone by saying, “You pick for each of us. We’re just going to trust you. Does that work?”
 She was taken aback for a minute, but then rallied. “No problem. Any food allergies?”
They all shook their heads.
Lauren laughed and shook her head again as the waitress walked away. “Drew, really?”
He took a sip of wine first before he answered. “Babe, who is going to know better than anyone
else what they’d order in a restaurant than someone on the wait staff? I do it all the time in many
different countries. I ask them to bring me something good. They do. It never fails. I’ve eaten some
interesting things, I’ll admit that, but life is for adventure, right? Those giant cockroach things in the
rainforest part of Australia that taste like lobster are great.”
“You’ve eaten what?” Lauren stared at him.
He shrugged. “I was there. Why not? Saw it on a travel show.”
“I am never riding on a plane with you. You’re a cowboy.”
“Well, if flying by the seat of your pants is about to come up, get over it. We mostly use
instruments but can step in if we need to. Let’s see how our dinner goes and then you can comment.”
“It had better not be cockroach.”
Rob had his back. “Admit he did a good job with the wine.”
Drew had to grin. “Wait until you get the bill.”
***
Dinner was fabulous. Small shrimp in butter, garlic, and asparagus, a pasta dish with lamb in
tomato sauce, and duck confit accompanied by fingerling potatoes. The food was delivered with extra
plates so they could share and taste all three dishes. Lauren could have sworn she didn’t really have
an appetite, but she certainly ate more than she expected.
Having Karen gone was such a relief. She wished she hadn’t heard their argument, but she had,
and some things just couldn’t be undone. She didn’t really blame Karen because while she would
have walked away more quietly, she’d have walked too. He wasn’t interested. She couldn’t blame
Rob either, because if he wasn’t, he just wasn’t and he’d done his best to express his feelings in a
thoughtful way. There are some things that can’t be forced.
Or helped.
He looked composed but resigned to the unhappy confrontation that had made Karen leave so
dramatically. And he was also not quite as tense now that it was over. In Lauren’s opinion — which
might or might not be impartial — he deserved points for being as decent as possible under the
circumstances. Whatever sexual encounter had — or had not apparently — occurred, he hadn’t
initiated it. She knew that much.
Unfortunately, so had Karen.
Lauren wasn’t about to bring it up and she didn’t care to examine her own conflicted feelings on
the matter either. She set aside her fork. “That was delicious.”
“It really was.” Drew lifted his brows. “A round of applause for my ordering method, please.”
“Don’t be so smug,” Rob said wryly.
As if on cue the waitress came back to their table, smiling brightly and holding a tray. “Chef
Doumas wants to know how you liked the entrees and if there was a favorite. He changes the menu
constantly and is always interested in the opinions of his guests. Now the pastry chef has already
chosen for you.” She presented the tray first to Drew. “You’ve started a competition in the kitchen.”
Lauren realized right then that the waitress was flirting with Drew, not overtly, but at least a little.
Right in front of her, which meant she thought Lauren was Rob’s date because she seemed like a nice
enough young woman.
“It all looks good.” He seemed oblivious to it. “Let Lauren go first. I’m betting on the blueberry
cheesecake as her choice.”
No, not oblivious.
As for the cheesecake she definitely gave it her vote as an A+. And when they left, she drove
since both Drew and Rob had definitely had more than one glass of wine each.
Winding roads and twilight woods made for an unsettling ambiance after a fairly eventful day.
And when a deer dashed across the road she had to slam on the brakes because it came out of
nowhere and she could swear she missed it by inches. That was all they needed. A car accident
would round out the evening nicely.
She thought they were all relieved to pull in and disembark safely. Not because of her driving but
because the day was about over.
“I vote we watch a movie.” That was Drew as he got out of the car.
“I get to pick.”
“Oh, hell, no. You like romantic comedies.” He opened her door. “I don’t know if I can take it.”
“Drink beer,” she suggested. “It’ll get you through.”
He groaned and at least Rob laughed as he shut the car door. “She has a point there. You were
planning on it anyway.”
“I was,” Drew conceded.
“No surprise there, Fletcher.”
“Like you weren’t, Hanson.”
They were funny together, she had to admit it. Grown men still acting like college boys every
once in a while, but everyone maybe needed that. She had a couple of close friends from high school
and every once in a while they got together to laugh and gossip, but her main confidant was her sister,
Jana. They texted or talked every day pretty much but she’d only described the stunning cabin, sent a
few pictures from her phone to show how beautiful it was on the lake, and left out the drama.
She wasn’t ready to talk about her interesting relationship situation at all, not even with her best
friend.
***
The flickering images on the screen began to roll to the credits. Probably just because Drew had
goaded her into it, Lauren had picked a light-hearted comedy with romantic overtones, not that it
mattered to him. Rob was so aware of her it was like a physical touch and he’d watch anything right
now, even a documentary on the social life of sea anemones.
Drew snorted and pushed a button on the remote to send the screen to black. The media room was
just off the main part of the house, furnished with a leather sectional, glass tables, and massive
system. Lauren had her legs curled under her, all three of them on the huge couch. “What was that
sound for? You were laughing through the entire movie.”
“I’m sorry. These chick movies all end the same.” He shrugged derisively.
“Why was it a ‘chick’ movie? Be careful, Drew, you’re sounding like a misogynist with a
comment like that. Because there weren’t a bunch of armed bad guys running around being foiled by
the good guys also with guns?”
 “Misogynist? Me? I think women are smarter than most men, work harder, and deserve our utmost
respect. I am also a true fan of your gender for myriad reasons besides those. But all these movies —
some of which are directed by men for your information — all end with the same sappy kiss.”
“I thought it was sweet,” Lauren argued. “Happily ever after. What more could anyone want?”
“How about an I-want-to-fuck-you kiss?”
Drew had definitely had a little too much to drink.
She gave him a scathing look he probably deserved. “Oh yeah, that’s romantic.”
“No, no, no.” Drew plucked the wineglass from her hand and set it aside on the polished coffee
table. “I beg to differ. It’s very romantic.”
“Hey, give me that back.” She reached for the glass.
Drew snagged her wrist. “I’ll be more than happy to show you how it’s done.”
Rob was just going to stay out of this one.
“You’re an expert, is that it?” Her eyes narrowed.
“You tell me.”
“Fletcher, you are on rocky ground here.” Rob said it without inflection.
His comment was ignored.
She looked more than startled when Drew leaned in and went for it, slanting his mouth against
hers possessively, because it wasn’t part of his makeup to do anything halfway. She stiffened at first,
probably because Rob was sitting right next to her, but relaxed after a moment or two.
It was surprisingly erotic to watch her body stance change. Every male understood when a female
responded to him and when she really wasn’t all that interested, and the reverse was true as well if
Karen had been telling the truth.
Rob hadn’t wanted the intimacy, and it hadn’t — in his opinion — been a bad call to just say no.
“Well,” Drew asked with a cheeky grin when they parted, “how’d I do?”
In answer she gave an exaggerated shrug, her cheeks a vivid pink. “That was a good effort, I
suppose, but—”
“A good effort?” He took her shoulders and turned her toward where Rob sat on the couch. “This
is a challenge. Hanson, let’s see how you do.”
Whatever Rob was expecting, it wasn’t that. He wasn’t the only one. Lauren’s eyes widened.
“Drew, let’s not take this too far here.”
If he thought about it too much, he wouldn’t do it, and if she thought about it too much, she’d
never agree either. Rob wasn’t exactly sure why Drew had just practically dared him to do what he
wanted to do in the worst way, but he wasn’t going to argue the point. He asked in a not quite steady
voice, “Give me a shot at the best kiss title?”
He just kissed her without her answer, his hands closing over her waist as he tugged her closer.
With the first touch of his lips, she gave a betraying tremble but then opened for the brush of his
tongue.
Heaven.
The roundness of her hip pressed his thigh and she tasted like warm woman and wine. He chose a
different approach and was restrained, the exploration of her mouth gentle yet urgent, and he didn’t do
anything else except run his fingers lightly up her bare arm in a gentle caress, the other arm encircling
her waist.
He was still sure she could feel his passionate hunger. A declaration without words of how he
felt and what he wanted.
Best kiss of his life anyway hands down, but then again, he’d really never had a first kiss with a
woman he was in love with, so this was uncharted territory. Her mouth was warm and soft, and the
scent and feel of her was both evocative and visceral.
She’d definitely participated and when he lifted his head and looked into her eyes she seemed a
little shell-shocked. His voice was barely audible when he asked, “How’d I do?”
It took a moment but she finally said, “Have the two of you always been this competitive?” She
shook her head and got it together, pulling away. “You both know what you’re doing and we’ll leave
it at that, plus add that I refuse to be the judge in any more ridiculous male contests. I’m going to bed.
Good night.”
They both watched her leave the room and Rob had to say into the resulting silence, “I think it is
entirely possible we’ve both had a little too much to drink. Why the hell did you do that to me? Why
the hell did I do that to you?”
Drew lounged back, a rueful smile on his face. “I really kind of did it to myself too, so keep that
in mind. I don’t know why. Some measure of guilt for the fact if I wasn’t in the picture — and I
probably shouldn’t be — I think you and Lauren might be really good together.”
A confusing declaration if there ever was one. “Good grief, Fletcher, I wouldn’t even know
Lauren if it wasn’t for you.”
“You don’t understand. I need to just talk to her about something. I’ve been avoiding it. I find it
ironic that you and I can talk about it, but I can’t to her. To tell the truth, I’ve pretty much avoided you
on this subject too.”
This whole day hadn’t made a lot of sense, and that statement didn’t help matters.
Rob looked at his friend searchingly, not sure what was coming next. “What? What subject?”
Drew sharply took in a breath. “I’m married.”
What the hell?
That was an unexpected bombshell. Rob searched for the right words. As a matter of fact, he
searched for any words at all. All he came up with finally was: “Uh . . . you aren’t required to tell me
every detail of your life or anything, but how could I not know this?”
Drew explained with obvious reluctance. “I started a relationship with one of the female
executives I flew regularly and she took charge of that as she does most things. When she suggested
marriage, I was free and single . . . it was romantic — elopement to a tropical island, great sex and
long lazy days relaxing together, but that isn’t real life. Cassandra is a busy professional, and I’m
gone constantly. It hasn’t worked out. Surprise, surprise. Stupid of me to think it ever would.
Everyone makes mistakes, that’s a given. We have a house but are just never there at the same time. I
moved out and bought the condo more convenient to the airport since the house is what she wanted
and picked out. End of story. Divorce is pending.”
“How long ago did this happen?” He was incredulous.
“Two years. Unfortunately, I think after the first three months we understood our lifestyles were
going to make it impossible. But we hung on for a while, ignoring it was a mistake every time we did
get together.”
“You didn’t tell me?”
“No. I told my father and stepmother just out of courtesy because I don’t really communicate with
them often, as you know, but by the time I did, I already knew it was not my best decision. Maybe . . .
oh hell, I don’t even know. I wanted it to work, but it didn’t.” He looked away, his expression taut.
“Lauren. She doesn’t know?”
“No.” Drew sighed and rubbed his jaw. “I have to tell her. I thought the divorce would be over
and done before now.”
Rob smiled humorlessly, still trying to assimilate this new information. “I’m not quite as
impartial as I could be, but my opinion is you do have to tell her.”
“No, you aren’t impartial and yet you’re correct. I’m not looking forward to it.”
Chapter Eight
He leveled the telescope, saw the cars were there, but they weren’t outside enjoying the beautiful
starlit evening.
Dark house. He wondered what kind of conversation they might be having . . .
The impression was the trio was regrouping and taking the defection much better than the
blonde had done.
Passing them on the road had been interesting. Part of him felt ingenious. Part of him
wondered at the wisdom of some of the chances he’d taken, but there truly was a method to the
calculated risks and he’d been very careful.
Careful enough was always the question.
He was discovering it was part of the thrill.
He’d always wondered about that facet of the game.
***
The dark car pulled in about ten o’clock in the morning.
Drew was sitting on the deck brooding about the night before, trying to figure out his options.
He’d told Rob and that was something, but he had no idea if that was the right decision or not.
Lauren had no idea she was sleeping with a married man, and it just wasn’t fair. It didn’t matter it
was over and the divorce pending — it mattered he hadn’t been entirely honest.
It mattered a lot. He’d fallen for Lauren but there was a measure of guilt there that took away
from that happiness, and if she was torn, and Rob was torn, he was in the same proverbial boat.
Rob was a good-looking, successful young guy and that turned Karen on, which was fine, but
what didn’t seem to register with her was that he was an old-fashioned farm boy at heart. He and
Lauren were probably perfect for each other.
That aside, the new arrivals, what was going on now?
The two men who got out of the car didn’t look like they worked in an office even though one of
them wore a suit. One was fairly young in his mid-thirties or so, jeans and a button-up shirt, blond
hair, a casual air with an athletic build, the well-dressed one older, balding, maybe fifty. They walked
toward the house like they had a purpose and came up the steps.
Since he was on the bottom deck, Drew was the first one they encountered and he stood up,
puzzled but not alarmed. “Can I help you?”
“Detectives Carter and Bailey.” The older one flashed a badge.
Now he was alarmed. He had to blink. “Detectives?”
“Yes. Can we talk to you?”
He couldn’t think of a single reason to refuse. “Of course. About what?”
“We tend to ask the questions.” It was a pleasant but firm response.
He supposed that was a valid point. “Since I have no idea what you’re talking about, go ahead.
Ask away.”
“You are?”
“Andrew Fletcher.”
“How long have you been in residence here, Mr. Fletcher?”
“Three days. Well, this is now day four, I guess. We’re on vacation.”
Another random document with
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cut slightly longer than required, and after they are bent into shape
their length can be determined precisely and extra portions cut off.
Each curved section will correspond to ¹⁄₈ of the complete circle, or
45°, as shown in Fig. 6.
The switches for the track may be of two kinds: left and right. They
are named according to whether the car is carried to the left or right
of the main track with reference to the direction in which the car
moves in entering the switch. A left switch is shown in Fig. 7, and a
right switch in Fig. 8, the direction of movement being indicated by
the arrows.

DETAILS OF SWITCH
Fig. 9
The Crossings of the Rails must be Fitted Carefully, and the Movable
Sections G and H Arranged to Make the Proper Contacts

A detailed drawing of a right switch is shown in Fig. 9. Rail A

corresponds in form and length to the outer rail of one of the curved
sections previously described; rail B corresponds to the inner rail of
one of the curved sections except that 2¹⁄₂ in. of straight rail is added
at the left end. Rail C is a straight portion of rail, 18 in. in length, with
a part of the base cut away at the switch, and rail D is a section of
straight rail, 15¹⁄₂ in. in length, with the base cut away where it
crosses rail A. The ends of rails D and A are hinged at the points E
and F, 3³⁄₄ in. from the left end, with pins driven into the ties. The
outside edges of the pieces G and H are filed off so they will fit up
against the rails C and B respectively. Both the pieces G and H are
attached to a strip of fiber insulating material, I, at their left-hand
ends, in such a way that when the piece H is against the rail B, the
piece G is away from the rail C about ³⁄₁₆ in.; when the end of the
piece G is drawn over against the rail C, the end of the piece H is
drawn away from the rail B about ³⁄₁₆ in. With these two
combinations the car may be made to move along the main track or
to the right on the curved track. The two long sleepers J and K are to
provide a mounting for the switch-control lever and signal.
The rail A is not continuous where the rail D crosses it, but is
broken as shown in the figure. A small notch should be cut in the
surface of the rail D where it crosses the rail A, for the flange of the
car wheels to roll through when the car is moving onto or off the
switch. The sections of the rails A and D must be connected
electrically. Rail A must be connected to rail C, and rail B to rail D.
It is obvious from an inspection of Fig. 9, at L, that rail D will be
connected to rail A when the car is on the switch, the car wheels
passing over the point L, and a short circuit will result. This may be
prevented by insulating the short section of the rail D at this point
from the remainder of the rail, but the length of the insulated section
must not be greater than the distance between the wheels on one
side of the car; otherwise the circuit through the motor would be
broken. If this is the case, and the car stops on the main track with
both wheels on the insulated section, it would be impossible to start
the locomotive until one wheel was moved to a live part of the rail.
The switch control is shown in Fig. 10, and the letters C, G, and I
correspond to those given in Fig. 9. A ¹⁄₈-in. rod, about 4 in. in length,
is bent into the form shown at M. It is mounted in a frame, the details
of which are shown in Fig. 11. A small arm, N, with a hinged handle,
O, is soldered to the rod, after it is placed in position in the switch
frame. The arm N and the lever P should be parallel with each other.
If properly constructed, the handle O will drop into the notches in the
top of the switch frame, and prevent the rod M from turning. A
connection should be made from the lever P to the end of the piece
I, which will result in the switch being operated when the rod M is
rotated one-fourth of a turn. After this connection is made, the frame
of the switch should be fastened to the ends of the long sleepers,
which were provided when the track part of the switch was
constructed. Two small disks, mounted at right angles to each other,
will serve as signals when properly painted, or as an indication of the
open or closed position of the switch.

SWITCH CONTROL TOP VIEW

Fig. 10 SWITCH FRAME
Fig. 11
The Signals Indicate the Open or Closed Condition of the Switch by the
Small Disk, Which is Regulated by the Lever Switch Control
 The speed of the car on the track may be controlled by inserting
resistance in series with the battery or source of electrical energy, or
by altering the value of the voltage between the rails, by changing
the connections of the cells forming the battery. The direction of
movement of the locomotive cannot be changed unless the car is
turned end for end, or the connections of the armature or field
winding—not both—are reversed. The switch on the bottom of the
locomotive reverses these connections.

Fig. 12

A small rheostat, which will give the desired resistance, may be

constructed as follows: Obtain a piece of hard wood, 4 by 5 in., and
³⁄₈ in. in thickness. Lay out a curve on this piece, as shown in Fig. 12
by the row of small circles. Procure eight round-headed brass
machine screws, about ¹⁄₈ in. in diameter and ³⁄₄ in. in length, and 16
nuts to fit them. Drill eight ¹⁄₈-in. holes along the curve, spacing them
³⁄₈ in. apart. File the heads of the screws off flat and mount the
screws in these holes. Make a metal arm, S, and mount it on a small
bolt passing through a hole drilled at the center from which the curve
was drawn, along which the screws were mounted. This arm should
be of such a length that its outer end will move over the heads of the
screws. Mount two binding posts, Q and R, in the upper corners of
the board and connect R to screw No. 8, and Q to the bolt holding
the arm S in place. Connect small resistance coils between the
screws, starting with screw No. 2; screw No. 1 corresponds to an
open circuit and is shown in contact with the arm S. Two stops,
indicated by the black spots, should be provided, to prevent the arm
from moving back of screw No. 1 or beyond screw No. 8. The board
may now be mounted on a suitable hollow base, and the rheostat is
complete.
Two binding posts should be mounted on the ties of one section of
the track, and one of them electrically connected to each of the two
rails, which will give an easy means of making the necessary
electrical connections to the source of energy. After careful
examination, to make certain that the locomotive is in running order,
a test run may be made. If the locomotive operates properly and
difficulty is experienced when it is placed upon the track, check up
thoroughly on all rail connections, insulations, and other elements in
the electrical equipment. Cars of a proper gauge may be coupled to
the locomotive, and “runs” made as extensively as the track system
will permit.
Sleeve Aids in Distinguishing Gas-Fixture Chains

Annoyance through inability to locate quickly the proper chain for

lighting a gas lamp in the dark was overcome by fitting a small brass
tube to one of the chains as shown in the illustration. The tube was
soldered to the chain by which the light is turned on and the other
chain passes through the tube and is grasped below it. To turn on
the light, it is only necessary to slide the hand along both chains and
to grip the tube, drawing on the chain attached to it. To turn the light
off, the exposed end of the other chain is drawn.—Thomas W.
Benson, Hastings upon Hudson, N. Y.
 An Ornamental Horn Match Holder

A match holder made of the horn shell of cattle hoofs mounted on

a wooden shield, as shown in the sketch is both ornamental and
useful. One of the pockets holds the unused matches and the other
the burnt ones. The hoofs were cleaned thoroughly and polished and
the edge of the shield was beveled off and varnished in the natural
color of the wood. The front was lacquered black and also varnished.

¶A small flat piece of wood is convenient for pointing up an eraser.

 Driving Thin Metal into Wood

A slender piece of flat, or round, metal may be driven into a wood

handle without breaking the wood or bending the metal, if it is placed
in a vise and the wood part driven onto the small portion projecting
from the jaws of the vise. Repeat the operation until the metal is
driven far enough into the wood.
 Slicing Board for Camp or Kitchen

The board illustrated was suggested by a device used by a

“sandwich man,” and proved practical for use in the home and
especially in the camp. Potatoes, or other articles of food to be
sliced, are placed in the hollow portion of the board and moved
against the edge at the right, under the knife. The guide, which may
be adjusted by means of the wing nut, permits slices of varying
thickness to be cut.—Robert C. Knox, St. Petersburg, Fla.
 Cleanly Pencil Sharpener

Pencils may be pointed without spreading the dust from them by

the use of the device shown in the illustration. A piece of emery
paper is fixed to one side of the cover of the box. By turning over the
cover with a handle, after a pencil has been pointed, the dust may be
dropped into the box and removed from time to time.—Sidney Block,
Detroit, Mich.
 A Weeding Tool

A B
A Case-Knife Blade Bent and Fastened in a Broom Handle Makes an
Excellent Weeding Tool

A handy weeding tool may be made of an old case knife—one of

the kind having a wood handle is the best. Remove the handle sides
and heat the blade about 1 in. from the end, then bend it at right
angles as shown at A. Ream out the rivet holes in the handle large
enough to allow screws, about 1 in. in size, to enter. Procure an old
broom handle and saw a slot in one end deep enough to receive the
knife shank, and fasten it with screws, as shown at B. This makes an
excellent tool for removing weeds from beds of young radish, lettuce
and other plants, as it is possible to get close to the plant stem
without injuring it.—Contributed by L. G. Burnand, Lyons, Iowa.
 Spray Nozzle Made of Acetylene Burner

A B

An acetylene burner makes a first-class spray nozzle, even though

the lava tips are broken off level with the metal. The burner may be
secured on a short piece of pipe, as at A, and this inserted in a hose,
or it may be pushed into a hose and wound with wire, as shown at B.
 Clamping a Wide Board on a Bench

A Block on the Bench and a Stick in the Vise Served as Jaws of a Wide
Opening

Having occasion to cut a groove on the surface of a board too

wide for the vise, I rigged up the arrangement shown to hold it. The
board was laid on the bench with the edge slightly projecting, then I
nailed a block firmly to the bench, close to the edge of the board,
and placed a stick in the vise as shown. When the vise screw was
turned up, the board was gripped solidly.—Contributed by S. H.
Bosuston, Victoria, B. C.
 Feeding Pan for Poultry

An Ordinary Pan Placed in a Shallow Box Makes the Form for a Concrete
Vessel

An excellent water or feeding pan for small chicks can be made of

concrete. Take an old pan and place it in an inverted position in a
shallow box, as shown in the sketch, then mix the concrete and pour
it over the pan. When the cement sets, turn it over and a pan will be
had that small chicks can climb out of, should they get into it.
 Metal Floor Corners

The hardest part of a room or stairway to clean is the corners, and

these always collect a good quantity of dirt. Instead of removing the
dirt each time, a better plan is to fix the corner as shown in the
illustration. A triangular piece of brass or copper, 2 in. on each side,
is fastened into the corner with one nail through the center. These
metal pieces are especially desirable in public buildings.—
Contributed by Abner B. Shaw, N. Dartmouth, Mass.
 Measuring Resistance with a Lead
Pencil
By JOHN D. ADAMS

T here are very few electrical experimenters who can afford a

Wheatstone bridge for measuring resistances, and yet, if one is to
gain any knowledge from his experiments, it is very necessary to
know what resistance is being used, particularly in handling 110
volts. The amateur will find the following method very useful.
There are several brands of lead pencils, the leads of which have
a resistance of 200 to 300 ohms, while others have comparatively
little resistance. Soak several pencils—preferably the large kind
carpenters use—in water over night so that the leads may be
removed without breaking. Connect up two 40-watt lamps in series
and note how they burn. Then replace one lamp with a lead and note
the relative intensity with which the remaining lamp burns. If the lead
is of a sufficiently high resistance it will cut down the illumination
about as much as the additional lamp.
Having selected a lead, mount it on a suitable board, holding it in
place by clamping each end under a strip of brass held down with
wood screws. Next screw in place two porcelain receptacles and
place three binding posts in position, all as shown in the sketch.
Connect up as indicated, and attach a short length of flexible cord,
with a metal tip on the free end, to one terminal of the central
receptacle. Procure a cheap 75-ohm receiver and connect it to the
two ends of the pencil lead. Finally glue on a paper scale.

The Lead Taken from a Lead Pencil and Used as a Means of Measuring
Resistance

To operate, place a high-resistance lamp in the center receptacle

—say, a 15-watt lamp—to prevent heating, and almost any lamp of
known wattage in the other receptacle. From the rating of this lamp
the resistance may at once be determined by Ohm’s law. Thus, at
110 volts, a 25-watt lamp will have a resistance of 484 ohms; a 40-
watt lamp 300 ohms, and a 60-watt lamp, 200 ohms. Connect the
unknown resistance, as shown in the drawing, and move the metal
tip on the end of the flexible cord back and forth along the pencil lead
until a point is reached where no sound is emitted by the receiver.
This point will be very well defined, and as the connection is moved
away from it in either direction the sound will increase rapidly. Note
the reading on the scale, and then if a 40-watt lamp is used in the
300 A
end receptacle, the unknown resistance will be = . The
B
resistance of the center lamp does not enter into the computation,
but by changing the lamp in the end receptacle, another set of
figures may be obtained, and a means had to secure increased
accuracy.
 A Simple Motor Controller
The controller described is very similar in operation to the types of
controllers used on electric automobiles, and its operation may be
easily followed by reference to the diagrammatic representation of its
circuits, and those of a two-pole series motor to which it is
connected, as shown in Fig. 1. The controller consists of six flat
springs, represented as small circles and lettered A, B, C, D, E, and
F, which make contact with pieces of narrow sheet brass mounted on
a small wood cylinder, so arranged that it may be turned by means of
a small handle located on top of the controller case in either direction
from a point called neutral, which is marked N. When the cylinder of
the controller is in the neutral position, all six contact springs are free
from contact with any metal on the cylinder. The contacts around the
cylinder in the six different horizontal positions are lettered G, H, J,
K, L, and M. There are three different positions of the controller in
either direction from the neutral point. Moving the cylinder in one
direction will cause the armature of the motor to rotate in a certain
direction at three different speeds, while moving the cylinder in a
reverse direction will cause the armature to rotate in the opposite
direction at three different speeds, depending upon the exact
position of the cylinder. These positions are designated by the letters
O, P, and Q, for one way, and R, S, and T, for the other.